The continuous pursuit of reducing weight and optimizing manufacturing processes is increasingly demanded in transportation vehicles, particularly in the aerospace field. In this context, additive manufacturing (AM) represents a well-known technique suitable for re-engineering traditional systems, minimizing the product’s weight/volume and print time. The present research activity allowed for the exploration of the feasibility to replicate a conventional hydraulic manifold already certified for defence application with a lightweight and more compact issue through typical stringent aeronautical qualification steps. Computational modelling with lab test efforts made it possible to assess the compliance of the device with airworthiness certification requirements, giving a special focus to the fulfilment of structural requirements. In particular, the fatigue life characterization is still a crucial point to be well investigated in aeronautical components dfAM (designed for additive manufacturing) to demonstrate the maturity of the technology in the certification scenario. The new AM-driven design offers a more than 40 per cent weight reduction.

The recent advances achieved in additive manufacturing (AM) technology demonstrate the potential to realize customized metal components, ensuring weight reduction opportunities. These benefits make AM attractive for high-cost aerospace applications, especially where high geometric complexity is required. In the context of an EU research scenario, the H2020 MANUELA (Additive Manufacturing Using Metal Pilot Line) project promotes the development of new technologies for design optimization by enabling the application of novel materials in AM. This paper illustrates recent advances in a new aluminum alloy (Al-HS1) with high strength emphasizing all of the characterization steps at the coupon level. This material has been employed in the re-engineering of a conventional hydraulic manifold using a powder bed fusion-laser beam (PBF-LB) process. Both the simulations and structural tests allowed for proving its compliance and technological maturity with industrial standards and applicable airworthiness requirements.