Analysis of additive manufacturing in the aeronautical field

Additive manufacturing is a new technology that is currently implemented in different industries such as oil, gas, automation and the medical industry. The objective of this thesis is to analyse whether 3D printing will be suitable for use in the aeronautical field, specifically, within the airlines. Throughout the different chapters this thesis will analyse this technology and will carry out a practical case study. This case study will focus on seatbelts, it will study different factors such as traditional manufacturing, (which is currently the manufacturing technique), additive manufacturing and the economical impact of changing to an alternative manufacturing method. The changes to the industry ́s dynamic from utilising a different manufacturing process and the repercussions from this change will also be taken into account in this study