Innovating Aviation Business

3D Printing Solutions for Aviation

Additive Manufacturing for Engine, Turbine Parts and more

Industrial 3D printing is transforming how aircraft components are designed and manufactured. Whether for engines, turbines, or lightweight cabin structures — additive manufacturing enables complex geometries, precise aerodynamic performance, and significant weight savings, all while reducing costs and lead times.

Lightweight construction and functional integration are essential for improving fuel efficiency and meeting strict sustainability requirements. As a result, many leading aerospace companies are already integrating additive manufacturing into their long-term production strategies.

EOS supports this transformation with end-to-end solutions: high-performance 3D printing systems, material and process qualification, and deep industry expertise. This close collaboration has led to numerous success stories and is accelerating innovation across the global aviation sector.

Advantages of 3D Printing for Aviation

Less Weight

Industrial 3D printing enables extremely strong yet lightweight structures, achieving weight reductions of around 40–60%. The results: lower material usage, reduced fuel consumption, and leaner cost structures.

Functional Integration

Maximum functionality can be integrated into fewer parts, reducing assembly and quality assurance costs while eliminating weaknesses associated with multi-component assemblies.

More Flexible Production Planning

Tool-free production allows faster design updates and on-demand manufacturing of spare parts. Over the long lifecycle of aircraft, this drastically reduces storage needs and costs.

Industry-Compliant Materials

EOS systems process specialized aerospace-grade materials. Additively manufactured parts meet the relevant safety requirements across multiple hazard levels.

Complex Parts

AM enables design freedoms that are impossible with conventional processes - from performance-driven optimizations to entirely new concepts.

Significant Cost Reductions

As a tool-free process, additive manufacturing minimizes tooling costs and enables more efficient use of high-value materials.

Manufacture Engine Parts for Aviation With Industrial 3D Printing

Industrial 3D printing enables highly efficient engine and turbine components by combining complex geometries, optimized aerodynamics, and lightweight structures - often up to 60% lighter than conventionally manufactured parts. Even demanding superalloys can be processed more economically thanks to reduced material waste, resulting in lower fuel burn and a smaller environmental footprint. Monolithic, single-piece components offer enhanced strength and durability. With fewer joints and seams, they deliver higher reliability and contribute to improved engine safety.

"The 3D printed valve block has proven that additive manufacturing with EOS technology is feasible for building critical primary flight components." Alexander Altmann | Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg

On-Demand Webinar:
Transforming MRO Business

This webinar explores how 3D printing is boosting aircraft maintenance by improving spare part availability, cutting lead times and costs, and reducing inventory. Ajith Ahamed Sayed (Etihad Engineering) and Stephan Keil (EOS) explain the business case for AM in aviation and which spare parts are best suited for this technology.

Our Partners: Etihad Engineering, The AM Aviation Center (AAMC)

SUCCESS STORY

Airbus

Locking Shaft for the Aircraft Door of an Airbus A350

Airbus is a global leader in the aerospace industry and related services. 3D printing technology by EOS helps Airbus to build a more cost- and resource-efficient aircraft. Additively manufacturing a locking shaft for aircraft doors achieved remarkable results:

45% weight reduction with identical robustness
25% lower production costs through reduced material and assembly time
Reduction from 10 parts to 1 integrated component
Over 4 kg weight reduction across all 16 door shafts per A350 aircraft

SUCCESS STORY

MTU Aero Engines

Series Production of Parts for an Airbus Engine

MTU Aero Engines, Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, has optimized its EOS machines to manufacture safe and cost-efficient parts in series. Using additive manufacturing, MTU builds borescope bosses for the geared turbofans of the new generation of PurePower® PW1100G-JM engines by Airbus A320neo. The low-pressure turbine in the A320neo turbofan is the first turbine ever to be equipped with additively manufactured borescope bosses by default. The cost benefits of EOS technology were one of the decisive factors for both production and development.

SUCCESS STORY

Quality Assurance for Aviation

Optical Tomography Technique

Aviation requires maximum safety, meaning every flight-critical part must be monitored with zero defects allowed. EOS and MTU Aero Engines jointly developed EOSTATE Exposure OT, an optical tomography solution for in-process monitoring. It delivers detailed layer-by-layer quality insights, enhances reproducibility, and enables cost-efficient quality assurance for serial AM production.

SUCCESS STORY

Manufacture Assemblies and Structural Parts

Unlock Efficiency, Reduce Cost Drivers, and Enable Lightweight Aerospace Design

Additive manufacturing unlocks new possibilities for structural aerospace components. By consolidating multiple parts into a single optimized component, AM reduces assembly steps, complexity, and cost drivers.

On-demand production transforms spare-parts logistics and eliminates the need for large inventories. Significantly lighter components also improve aircraft efficiency and reduce CO₂ emissions.

SUCCESS STORY

3D Printing for Aircraft Interiors

Custom, Tool-Free Cabin Components Made to Aviation Standards

Polymer-based AM is becoming increasingly important for aircraft cabin interiors, where high customization, tool-free production, and strict flammability requirements are essential. Industrial polymer 3D printing processes certified materials, allows complex geometries, and ensures repeatable builds with minimal post-processing.

It also enables digital spare-part strategies with virtual inventories and on-demand production - making polymer AM an efficient, compliant, and highly adaptable solution for cabin components.

SUCCESS STORY

Etihad Engineering

The Aircraft Cabin of the Future

Etihad Engineering is the largest MRO service provider in the Middle East, offering design, composite repairs, cabin refitting, and part services at its modern facilities in Abu Dhabi.

"Together with EOS, Etihad opened the first EASA-approved 3D printing facility in the Middle East for designing and manufacturing aircraft parts."

Using the EOS P 396 and materials such as PA 2241 FR, Etihad can quickly produce certified polymer cabin parts — both for scheduled C-checks and for fast replacements during regular line maintenance.