Summary

Abstract

AbstractThe need for highly integrated products is increasing due to modern trends in consumer demand. Although conventional production is already capable of mass-producing such products, there is a lack of flexibility in conventional production lines with regard to individualized products. Emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing (AM) promise to meet these needs and are the subject of research at the moment. AM is already used by many companies for functional parts, e.g. aircraft brackets made of titanium or aircraft interior parts made of PEI. Such AM parts have the disadvantage of high costs, especially due to high material costs and the comparatively low productivity of AM processes compared to conventional processes. Functional integration of, for example, hydraulic lines, cooling channels or electrical conductivity add value to AM parts and are adequate approaches to ensure competitiveness compared to conventionally manufactured parts. In particular, the combination of mechanical and electrical functionality holds the promise of great potential for lightweight design, miniaturization and streamlined assembly. Thus, thedevelopment of an AM process chain to produce highly integrated products tackles two current challenges at once: Highly functional and customized products can satisfy consumer demand, and AM parts gain value through integrated functionality, as they combine the function of multiple components, making them profitable.