Fabrication, additive manufacturing companies produce part for 787 airliner

Spirit AeroSystems and Norsk Titanium collaborated on a 3D-printed, titanium structural component for the fuselage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Spirit AeroSystems, which produces Boeing 787 fuselages and other structures, received its first additively manufactured, titanium structural component from Norsk Titanium U.S. Inc. (NTi).

The part, a back-up fitting for an access door latch in the forward fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner, has been machined and finished at Spirit's Wichita, Kan., facility.

NTi, headquartered in Norway with a Plattsburgh, N.Y., office, is an FAA-approved, OEM-qualified supplier of additive-manufactured, structural titanium components. NTi’s proprietary Rapid Plasma Deposition™ (RPD) process has been in serial production of Boeing 787 titanium components since April, 2017.

"Integrating additive manufacturing capability into our production system to build end-use titanium parts expands Spirit's fabrication capabilities and puts us at the forefront of advanced manufacturing," said Kevin Matthies, Spirit AeroSystems senior vice president of Global Fabrication. "With our Norsk collaboration, Spirit is bringing the power and benefits of additive manufacturing in support of our customers."

With RPD, titanium wire is melted in an inert, argon-gas environment and precisely, rapidly built up in layers to a near-net-shape part. The result is significantly less machining compared to conventional manufacturing methods, said NTi. Reduced machining lessens tooling and energy usage, which are significant cost drivers for titanium parts.

Once the AM phase of production is completed, Spirit final-machines and -finishes, inspects, and installs the part.