Metal 3D printing as a mass-production method

How far away is metal 3D printing from being a mass-production method?

Metal 3D printing is already used to make some parts in series. GE reported a printed aerospace fuel nozzle tip in production in 2018, and BMW reported in 2022 that its laser melting lines could make about 50,000 common automotive components a year. Outside those cases, the picture is less clear. The sources reviewed show no agreed qualification route for critical parts beyond NASA standards, many alloys are hard to print without defects, and the sources reviewed give no verified cost per part or build rate for a named production part.

AI illustration · Illustrative scene, not a photograph of the specific device or experiment.
WHERE WE AREScaling up

Nearly here. It works and is being scaled up.

Series production is shown for specific parts. GE reported a printed aerospace fuel nozzle tip in production, and BMW reported that its IDAM project was successful and that about 50,000 common automotive components a year can be made cost-effectively with laser powder bed fusion. Neither source shows metal printing replacing conventional processes across a range of parts. Qualification routes for critical parts are not yet standard, and the sources reviewed give no independent throughput or cost-per-part figures. The stage is scaling in niches, not widespread.

The tech tree

Everything recorded on Vrulum that this future needs, oldest foundations at the top and the goal at the bottom. Lines show what each step requires.

What it takes: Metal 3D printing as a mass-production method Unlocked Being researched Locked
  1. 2018Metal additive manufacturingCommercial Unlocked.
  1. 2015Certified flight part from a printed metal componentDone Unlocked.
  2. 2018Serial production of an aerospace fuel nozzle tipDone Unlocked.
  3. 2022Series production of common automotive partsDone Unlocked.
  4. 2022Published cost and throughput model for printed partsIn progress Being researched.
  5. 2023Defect control across most alloysIn progress Being researched.
  6. 2024Agreed qualification and certification route for critical partsNot started Locked.
  7. Date not recordedIn-line monitoring that can replace slow or destructive inspectionIn progress Being researched.
  1. GoalMetal 3D printing as a mass-production methodGoalRequires: Metal additive manufacturing, Serial production of an aerospace fuel nozzle tip, Certified flight part from a printed metal component, Series production of common automotive parts, Published cost and throughput model for printed parts, Defect control across most alloys, In-line monitoring that can replace slow or destructive inspection, Agreed qualification and certification route for critical parts. Locked.

The road so far

3 of 7 steps done, 3 in progress.

  1. Done · 4 Oct 2018Serial production of an aerospace fuel nozzle tip

    GE Aviation's Auburn, Alabama plant produced its 30,000th additively manufactured LEAP fuel nozzle tip, as announced on 4 October 2018. GE says the printed tip replaces about 20 welded and brazed pieces with one piece and is about 25 percent lighter, and that more than 40 printers were in use. The announcement gives no output rate and no durability figures. These are company figures, and this is the most recent output figure I could verify. [1]

  2. Done · 14 Apr 2015Certified flight part from a printed metal component

    GE reported in April 2015 that the US Federal Aviation Administration had certified a 3D-printed T25 sensor housing, a cobalt-chrome part, for GE commercial jet engines. The article describes this as the first 3D-printed part certified by the FAA. It shows one part and one approval, not a general route for printed parts. [2]

  3. Done · 24 May 2022Series production of common automotive parts

    BMW's IDAM project, which ran with 12 partners and was funded by Germany's BMBF, reported in May 2022 that about 50,000 common components a year can be made cost-effectively with laser powder bed fusion, plus more than 10,000 individual and new parts. The press release describes the project as successful. BMW's own statement, not an independent audit, supports these figures. [3]

  4. In progress · 9 Dec 2022Published cost and throughput model for printed parts

    A peer-reviewed framework by researchers at MIT estimates build time and per-part cost from process parameters, material properties and machine specifications. It shows a trade-off between production cost and machine capability, and between print quality and throughput. The authors describe the results as representative and based on exemplary alloys and system specifications. The abstract gives no specific build rates or costs. [4]

  5. In progress · 26 May 2023Defect control across most alloys

    An editorial by Wu and colleagues (2023) says poor printability and unacceptable metallurgical defects are still the primary concerns limiting most alloys in laser powder bed fusion. The editorial proposes redesigning alloy compositions for the process as a response. It does not show that the problem has been solved. [5]

  6. In progressIn-line monitoring that can replace slow or destructive inspection

    BMW describes in-line sensors and a CMOS camera with a pyrometer that check the molten pool during the build, with AI used to link the data to component quality. NIST's 2024 review says in-process monitoring and non-destructive evaluation are essential tools for reducing the cost of qualification and certification, and identifies gaps in knowledge, technology and standards. [3][7]

  7. Not started · 6 Mar 2024Agreed qualification and certification route for critical parts

    DSIAC reports that, apart from NASA standards, there is no military or DoD-approved qualification and certification process for additive manufacturing. It also says printed parts are not as trusted across the Services and DoD as parts made by traditional processes, and that many organisations have begun writing their own guidelines. NIST's 2025 laboratory testbed for studying laser-matter interaction is not described as a qualification route. [6][8]

Why it matters

If metal printing reaches mass production, it could make lighter, more complex parts without tooling, and it could make spare parts closer to where they are used. For aircraft and cars, the bottleneck is less the printer than the proof that every printed part is sound. Progress on inspection and qualification would decide which parts move from prototypes to series output.

What stands in the way

  • Poor printability and metallurgical defects are still the primary concerns limiting most alloys in laser powder bed fusion (Wu and colleagues, 2023).
  • Apart from NASA standards, there is no DoD-approved qualification and certification process for additive manufacturing, so organisations rely on their own guidance (DSIAC, 2024).
  • Checking every printed part is costly. NIST describes in-process monitoring and non-destructive evaluation as essential for reducing the cost of qualification and certification (NISTIR 8538, 2024).
  • The cost case for a given part is not publicly verified. The sources reviewed give no independent build rate or cost-per-part figure for a named production part.
  • The automotive result covers common parts made by one project and its partners. It does not show the same economics across other parts or suppliers.

Signals to watch

  • A qualification and certification route for additive manufacturing that applies beyond NASA standards, such as a DoD-approved process.
  • Published throughput and cost-per-part data for a named production part, with the build conditions stated.
  • GE or another engine maker publishing current annual output for printed fuel nozzles or other printed parts.
  • Automotive series parts made under volume production with in-line monitoring data published alongside the results.
  • NIST monitoring and non-destructive evaluation work turning into standards that suppliers can use.

Sources

  1. company announcement
    Manufacturing Milestone: 30,000 Additive Fuel Nozzles
    GE Aerospace, 4 Oct 2018.
  2. company announcement
    The FAA Cleared the First 3D Printed Part to Fly in a Commercial Jet Engine from GE
    GE Reports (GE), 14 Apr 2015.
  3. company announcement
    Successful industrialisation and digitalisation of additive manufacturing
    BMW Group, 24 May 2022.
  4. peer reviewed paper
    A physics-based modeling framework to assess the cost scaling of additive manufacturing, with application to laser powder bed fusion
    Kaitlyn Gee, Suh In Kim, Haden Quinlan et al.. Rapid Prototyping Journal, 9 Dec 2022.
  5. review article
    Recent Advances in Metal Powder-Based Additive Manufacturing
    Hong Wu, Yaojia Ren, Yingtao Tian et al.. Materials (MDPI), 26 May 2023.
  6. government report
    Qualification and Certification of Powder Bed Fusion Additively Manufactured Components
    Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC), 6 Mar 2024.
  7. government report
    In-process monitoring and non-destructive evaluation for metal additive manufacturing processes (NISTIR 8538)
    Alkan Donmez, Jason Fox, Felix Kim et al.. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 17 Sept 2024.
  8. government report
    Design and Calibration of the Fundamentals of Laser-Matter Interaction (FLaMI) Powder Bed Fusion Testbed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST AMS 100-66)
    David Deisenroth, Sergey Mekhontsev, Steven Grantham. National Institute of Standards and Technology, 21 Feb 2025.

Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.