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Titanium is one of the most critical materials in aircraft. It offers strength, low weight, and compatibility with carbon fibre composites. But there’s a challenge the industry has lived with for decades, a significant portion of that titanium never makes it onto the aircraft, particularly in highly machined structural components.
In traditional manufacturing, parts are cut out of solid blocks through forging and machining. In that process, most of the material is removed. This is reflected in the buy-to-fly ratio, where around 80 to 95% of the titanium can end up as waste.
Airbus is approaching this differently.
Wire-Directed Energy Deposition (w-DED) – A Different Approach
Instead of cutting away material, the process builds aircraft parts layer by layer using titanium wire.
The process is called wire-Directed Energy Deposition (w-DED). A robotic system feeds titanium wire into a focused energy source, such as a laser or plasma arc. The wire melts instantly and is deposited precisely, guided by a digital model.
What you get at the end is a near net shape, already close to the final geometry. This significantly reduces material waste at the source, though critical surfaces still require precision machining to meet aerospace tolerances.
Beyond material efficiency, the process also changes how parts are designed. Instead of replicating forged components, structures can be redesigned for additive manufacturing, enabling part consolidation and reducing assembly complexity.
Capable of Building Large Parts in a Few Weeks
Metal 3D printing in aerospace has largely been limited to smaller parts produced with powder-bed systems. With w-DED, that boundary starts to shift toward larger structures.
- Parts can extend to several meters in length, depending on system configuration
- Production increases from grams per hour to several kilograms per hour
At the same time, the manufacturing timeline also changes.
Traditional forging depends on complex tooling, which can take years to develop in large or highly specialized programs and requires high upfront investment. With w-DED, the process is digitally driven, reducing the need for dedicated tooling and bringing timelines down significantly.
- Parts can be built in just a few weeks
- Design changes can be handled faster during development
This makes the process particularly relevant in early program phases, where designs are still evolving.
Real-World Application: A350 Integration
Airbus has already begun applying this technology in production as part of an early industrial adoption phase.
The company has introduced w-DED-manufactured titanium parts into the Airbus A350, specifically in the cargo door surround structure.
These components:
- are functionally and geometrically identical to traditionally forged parts
- are produced using plasma-based wire DED by a qualified supplier
- undergo inspection and final machining before installation
This reflects a broader ecosystem, where additive manufacturing, inspection, and finishing processes are integrated before parts are certified for use.
Aerospace Manufacturing Is Moving Toward Lower Waste and Faster Production
The aerospace 3D printing market continues to expand, but more importantly, the direction of that growth is becoming clearer.
Technologies like w-DED are addressing some of the most persistent challenges in aircraft manufacturing, particularly material waste, long production timelines, and dependence on complex tooling.
For materials like titanium, where cost and availability both matter, improving utilization is critical. Reducing waste from levels that can reach up to 95% has a direct impact on both the economics and supply chain efficiency of the aerospace industry.
At the same time, adoption remains gradual, with certification requirements, process control, and material consistency still influencing how quickly these technologies scale into broader structural applications.