The global aerospace fastener market is expected to reach to over $12 billion by 2029. This growth can be credited to a surge in air transport, both passenger and freight, as well as a demand for military air defense systems.
In 2022 global market forecasts, Airbus projected that there would be need for 39,490 new passengers and freighter aircraft over the next 20 years, driving the growth and demand for aerospace fasteners, which use more than 1 million fasteners in commercial aircrafts.
With the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also projecting an overall number of air passengers reaching 4 billion by 2024. Global aircraft OEMs like Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier, and others have received increasing aircraft orders post pandemic.
With this growth and demand comes advances in the area of aerospace manufacturing, welding, material handling, and other processes to increase safety and efficiency. Here are 3 ways the aerospace industry is innovating the way they manufacture.
- 3D Printing has taken centerstage when it comes to advances in the manufacturing industry. This process not only saves money, but it can also save time, cutting weeks and even months of design, prototyping, and manufacturing. One well-known organization using 3D printing in their aerospace production is NASA, who had more than 100 parts on NASA’s Orion spacecraft printed by aluminum specialist, Arconic.
- Aerospace manufacturers have new co-pilots in the form of automation and robotics from the assembly line to testing processes. Automation and robotics prove beneficial in assisting with labor shortages, increased efficiencies, improved quality and optimizing healthy and safety in the workplace.
- Recent discoveries in the use of advanced materials in aerospace manufacturing have allowed for the industry to create aircrafts and spacecrafts that are more sustainable and fuel efficient. Lightweight parts like titanium, which is 40% more lightweight than any other components, as well as special alloys, like nickel and chromium, have higher strength, less weight, better thermal stability, and more longevity.
A variety of aerospace exhibitors will be in attendance at IFE 2023 October 9-11, 2023 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. Save the date and sign up for event updates here.
