Sometimes, technical progress strongly relies on contributions which are completely unexpected at a first glance. For example, people are fascinated by the superb Airbus A380 airplane, particularly due to its gigantic size, its passenger capacity and its comfort. However, taking a closer look, it becomes evident that materials and manufacturing techniques are the real “miracles” that are covered behind this new aircraft. Novel materials, such as composites and new metallic materials, their fabrication technologies and innovative parts production technologies contribute largely to the success of the enormous engineering challenge of a megaliner aircraft.