| contents page | news | events | advertisers’ index | contact |
Metal AM on the Airbus A320neo
Advances in aerospace applications: MTU produces Airbus A320neo borescope bosses with Additive Manufacturing Additive Manufacturing technology is rapidly making gains in the aerospace sector, particularly in the field of aero engine construction. Munich-based MTU Aero Engines is the first company to use this technology for the serial production of borescope bosses used in the new PurePower® PW1100G-JM engine from Pratt & Whitney and fitted to the Airbus A320neo aircraft. In this report Metal AM magazine reviews the development of the technology at MTU and the close collaboration with EOS that helped to ensure the success of the project.
When it comes to new technologies, the aerospace sector is one of the most innovative yet cautious industries in the world. New materials and technologies that are suitable for series production have an important role to play, with the primary drivers being cost, weight and function. Because of this, both aerospace manufacturers and suppliers have been testing the performance capabilities of metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes for many years. Whilst Additive Manufacturing was originally used in the manufacture of prototypes, thanks to its many advantages the technology has since established itself as a staple in series production. The advantages associated with metal AM include increased design freedom as well the ability to use a wide range of raw materials that are extremely difficult to process using conventional technologies. With its A320neo (new engine option), a new short and medium haul aircraft, Airbus’ key objective was
Vol. 1 No. 2 © 2015 Inovar Communications Ltd
Fig. 1 The Airbus A320neo aircraft features the Pratt & Whitney PurePower PW1100G-JM engine (Courtesy Airbus) to offer global airlines a significant reduction in fuel consumption. Achieving this goal required, above all, much more efficient engines. Airbus selected the award-winning Pratt & Whitney geared turbofanTM engine as the launch engine on the A320neo aircraft family (Fig. 1). The ultra-efficient PurePower PW1100GJM engine, described by Pratt &
Whitney as the greenest engine option on the A320neo, delivers double-digit improvements in fuel efficiency, reduces noise by 50% and cuts CO2 and NOX emissions (Fig. 2). The low-pressure turbine for the PW1100G-JM geared turbofan (GTF) engine is the first turbine ever to come equipped with borescope bosses produced by AM (Fig. 3).
Metal Additive Manufacturing | Summer 2015
41