An extended cost analysis method for complex lightweight aircraft components manufactured with selective laser melting

Current research has shown that the costs of manufacturing parts by the selective laser melting (SLM) process are higher than production using conventional manufacturing techniques. This paper aims to extend a cost manufacturing analysis method for metallic parts based on CAD data by including hot isostatic pressing as a heat treatment in the SLM technique. The proposed method includes all the pre- and post-processing steps linked to SLM and allows the determination of aggregated costs per part. A case study consisting of a lightweight metallic aircraft wing rib with Internet of Things capabilities whose weight is around 96% less than that shown to be necessary by other studies is presented. The results show that the main cost driver is the build cost, for which the major contributor is the machining cost, followed by the material cost. This analysis can be applied to other components within an aircraft wing box.