Airbus
Scales wire-arc Directed Energy Deposition (w-DED) to produce large structural titanium aircraft parts, reducing lead times and material waste by up to 95% compared to traditional methods.
- CEO / Founder
- Guillaume Faury
- Team Size
- 10000+
- Stage
- Public
- Total Funding
- Publicly Traded
- Latest Round
- IPO
- Key Investors
- French Government (via SOGEPA) 10.9%, German Government (via GZBV) 10.8%, Spanish Government (via SEPI) 4.1%, Capital Research and Management Company 9.9%, BlackRock 4.4%
Technology & Products
Key Products
Aircraft structural components; Interior cabin parts; Helicopter components; Satellite parts
Technological Advantage
Verified advantage: w-DED achieves deposition rates of several kilograms per hour for parts over 23 feet long, with 15% weight reduction in certified cabin parts. Defensible through in-house R&D and partnerships.
Patent position
Airbus filed 29 patent families in 2022-2024, down 46% from 54 in 2019-2021, while tracked AM filings in the same patent offices fell 21%. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 29 families filed 2022–2024, 54 in 2019–2021 (-46%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -21%
- Process mix, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Powder bed fusion 48% → 50%
- Focus, 2019–2021 → 2022–2024
- Applications 20% → 46%Materials 57% → 43%Equipment 68% → 39%
- Filed in
- EP 40%US 32%CN 28%WO 8%JP 2%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- Lockheed Martin 66
171 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Enables on-demand production of large titanium components (up to 7 meters long) with 95% less material waste, cutting lead times from months to weeks and reducing aircraft weight for improved fuel efficiency.
How They Differentiate
3x faster build speed for large titanium parts via w-DED vs. traditional machining, with 95% material waste reduction and 15% lighter certified cabin parts compared to conventional designs.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aerospace OEMs, airlines, defense contractors
Industry Verticals
Aerospace; Defense; Space
Competitors
Boeing, Lockheed Martin, COMAC
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Revenue increased 4% to €52.6 billion in commercial aircraft activities for FY2025; produces over 25,000 flight-ready 3D-printed parts annually.
Major Milestones
Founded in 1970; First flight in 1972; Produced over 200,000 certified 3D-printed parts in service; Scaling w-DED for large titanium parts in 2026
Notable Customers
Korean Air (33 A350 order in 2024), Airlines worldwide (766 deliveries to 86 customers in 2024), Military agencies, Space agencies
Recent coverage of Airbus
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 190
- Granted
- 60
- Families
- 171
Leading domains: process (188), material (116), equipment (93)
Filings by year: 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 20 · 2019: 23
- ADDITIVE-MANUFACTURING SYSTEM FOR THE THREE DIMENSIONAL PRINTING OF A REVOLUTION PART AND METHOD FOR PRINTING A THREE DIMENSIONAL REVOLUTION PART04063093 · EP
- Additive manufacturing system and additive manufacturing method113275754 · CN
- BUILD ORIENTATION FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING20190265678 · US
- CR-RICH AL ALLOY WITH HIGH COMPRESSIVE- AND SHEAR STRENGTH2020260017 · WO
- Impression chamber for 3D printer109940885 · CN
Equipment deals on record
Publicly disclosed purchases or installs only.
- EBAM 110 System
1 systems · Not disclosed
Buyer: Airbus · Supplier: Sciaky, Inc.