Led by Airbus, the £38 million DECSAM programme is a four-year UK research and innovation initiative to advance metal laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) for aerospace. Funded by Innovate UK, the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI), and the Department for Business and Trade, the project aims to make this additive manufacturing (AM) technology more cost-effective, productive, and sustainable for producing flight-ready parts, running until June 2028.
DECSAM unites 11 organisations across the UK AM supply chain, including OEMs, suppliers, SMEs, and research institutes. The consortium will focus on improving resource efficiency, material reuse, and circular design principles to reduce waste and the carbon intensity of manufacturing, supporting the aviation sector’s transition to net-zero.
The project is structured around four key innovation pillars: Performance (developing new alloys and advanced modelling), Productivity (implementing high-power lasers, beam shaping, and in-situ monitoring with closed-loop control), Scalability (creating an end-to-end digital thread and automated factory concepts), and Application (integrating technologies to demonstrate cost benefits on target aerospace components).
Planned outputs include ground and flight-test demonstrators, validated routes for recycled powder, widened powder specifications, and verified parameter sets for quality and throughput. A core objective is to establish a fully integrated, digitally connected AM supply chain within the UK, from material selection to post-processing and inspection. This will help close current productivity gaps, reduce reliance on overseas processing steps, and create a more resilient domestic supply chain.
GKN Aerospace, a key partner, will leverage its engine manufacturing role to integrate DECSAM technologies, demonstrating the cost-effectiveness of L-PBF for future engine products. The programme is business-case led, targeting a shift from today’s fragmented processes to a production-ready, digitally connected system. This will be proven through cost-modelled demonstrators, such as an aircraft floor beam, showing that AM can be economically viable for serial production.
Ultimately, DECSAM will accelerate the industrial adoption of additive manufacturing in civil aerospace by delivering repeatable, certifiable parts at a competitive cost. It addresses critical use cases for ultra-efficient wings, engine structures, and future hydrogen subsystems, while also onshoring critical manufacturing capabilities and advancing the UK’s position in sustainable aviation manufacturing.
