Ending the struggle to produce end-use 3D-printed aircraft products.
In the aerospace industry, everything needs to be done in compliance with a standardized, documented specification, or procedure. Material specifications cover all aspects of raw materials production (and testing) from paints and sealers to billets and forgings. Certifications or “certs” travel with these materials throughout the manufacturing lifecycle testifying that they are what they should be. Process specifications exist for every manufacturing process used to produce something. From soldering to caulking and from rivet installation to lockwire application everything has a well-documented way of doing it correctly.
And for good reason: Failure at 30,000 feet has dire consequences so everything must be done in a predictable and (statistically significant) safe manner. Most people have heard of AS9100 standards which are based on ISO 9001 requirements. AS9100 takes ISO 9001 even further with additional quality system requirements in order to satisfy DOD, NASA, and FAA quality requirements.