However, storing an inventory of extra parts either at an aircraft manufacturer or at a client may use an undesirable amount of resources.
On a high level, 3d printing is an additive manufacturing process that creates 3d objects one layer at time, essentially ‘growing’ parts out of hundreds or thousands of layers, depending on the object's size. Compared to conventional subtractive manufacturing processes, 3d printing doesn't require tooling, which invites design complexity; can reduce lead times and costs; and changes the way inventory could be managed.