First 3D-printed load-bearing part approved for aircraft use

3D-printed titanium component certified for use in an aircraft engine’s inlet cowl.

The airlines Lufthansa Technik and Tier 1 aircraft-structure manufacturer Premium AEROTEC have teamed up to find ways to use additive manufacturing to more cost-efficiently produce spare parts.

The German companies recently reached an important milestone: A 3D-printed metal part developed at Lufthansa’s additive manufacturing center for the IAE-V2500 engine’s anti-icing system has been certified by the European Union’s aviation certification association (EASA). It’s reportedly the first such certificate awarded for an additively manufactured load-bearing spare part.

Premium AEROTEC will 3D-print the component at its Varel, Germany, site.

The titanium components, called A-Links, currently are forged. Nine A-Links are fitted together to form a ring-shaped hot-air duct in the engine’s inlet cowl that safeguards against ice buildup during flight. However, the vibrations that occur during operation cause the components to wear at their mounting holes and, after a few years, they must be replaced.

Lufthansa and Premium say their 3D-printed A-Links, made on an LPBF (laser powder bed fusion)-style printer, eliminate the jigs and molds required for forged parts. Moreover, the additive process reduces material costs.

Lufthansa’s COO, Soeren Stark, said that for years the airlines has been producing plastic components for airplanes’ cabins. “Now we are able to demonstrate that structurally relevant metal parts for use outside the cabin can also be manufactured additively and approved for flight operations.”