Page 22 - 3D Metal Printing Summer 2019

Market Report:
Aerospace
All systems go for increasing 3D printing opportunities.
global aerospace industry worth more than $838 billion. The new-aircraft (com- mercial and military) market alone, according to Teal Group figures, is worth about $200 billion.
Moreover, according to Robin Lineberg- er, global aerospace and defense leader at Deloitte Consulting, New York, NY, the commercial aircraft backlog stands at 14,000, with production of about 38,000 aircraft expected over the next 20 years. Reasons for the backlog? First, it takes sev- eral months to assemble all of the parts and perform all of the tests required for a new aircraft. In addition, while the middle class here continues to get pinched, the middle class in large global markets such as China and India are thriving. Finally, fuel costs remain relatively low, making air travel, especially regional travel in China and Asia, affordable. Affordable air travel means more passengers, and more pas- sengers create a need for more planes. Meanwhile, Lineberger adds that the mar- ket for military aircraft, too, remains strong, with such programs as the Department of
Unlike automotive, with its easy- to-define and -track vehicle seg- ments and unit sales, aerospace is far different with its many segments and subsegments—commercial (including smaller regional aircraft), military (fighters, transports, etc.), rotorcraft (helicopters), unmanned (drones), satellites... the list goes on.
“Aerospace remains one of the world’s most important industries, yet there is no consensus on its size and composition,” says Richard Aboulafia, vice president of analysis for Teal Group Corp., Fairfax, VA. Nonetheless, Teal Group and AeroDynamic
BY JOE JANCSURAK, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Advisory, Ann Arbor, MI, recently defined the global aerospace industry as “all activ- ities pertaining to the development, pro- duction, maintenance and support of air- craft and spacecraft. Included in this definition: aircraft and spacecraft manu- facturing, including engines, systems, aero structures and sub-tier suppliers; missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (drones) manufacturing, airborne defense, elec- tronics, aircraft simulators; and mainte- nance, repair and overhaul, including spare parts and materials.”
Teal and AeroDynamic conclude that these combined activities account for a
20 | 3D METAL PRINTING • SUMMER 2019
3DMPmag.com
Inside the Boeing 777 factory in Everett, WA. Industry experts expect a strong year for the commercial aircraft industry.
3D FEATURE