How Airbus Is Pioneering Aircraft Manufacturing With Titanium 3D Printing

Airbus is reshaping the future of aircraft manufacturing by turning one of aviation’s most challenging materials, titanium, into a platform for large-scale additive production. What was once a niche technology for small components is now moving into the heart of airliner structures, fundamentally changing how aircraft are designed, built, and industrialised.

At the center of this shift is wire-Directed Energy Deposition (w-DED), an advanced 3D-printing technique that uses titanium wire instead of powder to create large, load-bearing aircraft parts. The process is already transitioning from research to real-world production inside Airbus facilities and supply chains.

Additive manufacturing with titanium wire becomes reality

In conventional aircraft manufacturing, structural titanium components are forged or machined from large billets. This subtractive approach is robust but inefficient, producing significant waste. With w-DED, parts are no longer carved out of solid metal, they are grown, layer by layer, directly into near-final form from a spool of titanium wire.

The process uses a multi-axis robotic arm guided by a digital 3D model. A focused energy source, such as a laser, plasma arc, or electron beam, melts the wire as it is deposited precisely where needed. The result is a “near-net-shape” blank that closely resembles the final component and requires only minimal finishing machining.

Scaling 3D printing for large aircraft structures

Metal 3D printing has been used in aerospace for more than a decade, but mostly for small, intricate parts produced via powder-bed fusion systems. These machines are typically limited to components under two feet in length.

w-DED removes that constraint. Airbus is now producing titanium parts measuring up to seven meters (more than 23 feet) long, large enough for primary structural applications. The process also delivers a dramatic productivity leap, increasing deposition rates from hundreds of grams per hour to several kilograms per hour. That shift makes additive manufacturing viable for industrial-scale aircraft production.

Cutting titanium waste at the source

Titanium is indispensable in modern aircraft thanks to its strength-to-weight ratio and compatibility with carbon-fiber composites. It is also expensive. Traditional forging methods often result in buy-to-fly ratios where 80% to 95% of the original material must be recycled.

w-DED largely eliminates that inefficiency. Because the component is printed close to its final geometry, very little material is removed during machining. The result is lower raw-material consumption, reduced environmental impact, and immediate cost savings.

Faster development, greater agility

Conventional forging requires large dies and tooling that can take up to two years to design and produce. By contrast, w-DED relies on digital design files, cutting lead times to weeks rather than years. This agility is especially valuable during aircraft development, when designs are still evolving and rapid iteration is critical.

First production use on the A350

Airbus has already begun serial integration of large w-DED titanium parts on the A350, specifically in the cargo door surround area. These components, produced by qualified suppliers, have been fully inspected, machined, and installed on production aircraft. Functionally identical to forged parts, they deliver tangible cost and material-efficiency benefits.

The next step is expansion into more critical structures across other aircraft programs, including potential future applications in wings and landing gear.

“Designed for DED”: a new design philosophy

Perhaps the most transformative aspect of w-DED is what Airbus calls “designed for DED.” Instead of assembling multiple forged or machined parts, engineers can design single, highly optimized components that are printed as one piece. This reduces part count, simplifies supply chains, lowers assembly labor, and shortens production cycles—unlocking design freedoms impossible with traditional manufacturing.

As Airbus and its partners continue to mature the technology, testing multiple energy sources and balancing in-house versus outsourced production strategies, w-DED is being positioned as a group-wide industrial standard. In doing so, Airbus is not just adopting a new manufacturing method—it is redefining how future airliners will be conceived, built, and delivered.

Related News: https://airguide.info/?s=airbus

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, airbus.com