The pace of the metallics revival is quickening. The re-emergence of metallic solutions as alternatives to future wing structures, for example, is an area that is being actively developed by GKN Aerospace, a global Tier 1 supplier that has a very sizable stake in both metallic and composite structural manufacturing for all the major aerospace constructors.

The company believes that additive manufacturing (AM) presents a massive opportunity to create complex shapes, some of which would be impossible to manufacture using conventional methods, with higher functionality and different materials.