Additive manufacturing (AM) is especially useful for companies with low production rate and large variation of components. AM is also beneficial for components with extremely complex geometries and for materials that are expensive or difficult to process. Thus, this technique is very attractive for the aerospace industry. However, the mechanical properties of AM-components can differ substantially from the properties of the same component produced by conventional techniques. This is due to the inherent complexity of the AM methods and the large quantity of process parameters. To gain industrial acceptance and be able to introduce AM for critical aeronautical applications, a deeper understanding of how the AM process influence fatigue and damage tolerance needs to be established.
Partners: Saab AB
Financing: The Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research and Saab AB
