ADVANCING ADDITIVE REPAIR: AUTOMATED FEASIBILITY TOOL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT: The transition toward circular and sustainable manufacturing operations presents a pressing challenge for the industry. Components with surface damage are often deemed non-reworkable due to high costs of remanufacturing, compared to replacement by new. Emerging technologies, such as Additive and Hybrid Manufacturing – now reaching satisfactory technology readiness levels (TRL 6 to 8) – are increasingly adopted to repair damaged parts, particularly in the aerospace and tooling sectors. Despite their technical viability, determining the feasibility of additive repair, remains a complex decision-making task, as economical, technical and environmental aspects need to be evaluated. The below work aims to address this challenge by developing a guideline and proposing an automated decision-making framework. A Python-based repair feasibility tool is introduced, capable of analysing diverse data inputs to define repair strategies and support sustainable decisions.