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Revolution

Underway

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING IS DELIVERING
DRAMATIC BENEFITS

Atul Chandra

Additive manufacturing (AM) technology is making rapid inroads
into the commercial aviation industry, as it lives up to its promise of engines delivered respectively. CFM plans to
being one of the most transformative technologies to come along deliver 1,800+ LEAP engines in 2019 and more
in decades. The word ‘additive’ in AM technology comes from the than 2,000 engines, the following year.
fact that material is added during the manufacturing process as
opposed to traditional manufacturing methods, where the part is Early Start
milled and cut away from a slab of metal. Since AM processes use GE Aviation was one of the first aerospace
individual layers of material to produce a three-dimensional com- companies to make an early start with AM
ponent, it is also referred to as 3D-printing. AM technology (also technologies. It was in the 1990’s, that its engi-
known as additive layer manufacturing) has turned the paradigm neers started working with a Cincinnati based
for manufacture of complex aircraft parts, which were tradition- company called Morris Technologies. The
ally complex, expensive and time consuming to manufacture, to company was named after 3D printing pioneer
exactly the opposite. The cost savings are not insignificant, Boeing Greg Morris, who was used lasers and metal
expects that use of 3D printed parts for its 787s will deliver sav- powder to print complex parts directly from the
ings of US$2-3 million per aircraft. This technology is being rapidly CAD file, which also removed traditional tooling
accepted in the market and by 2020, the global market for AM restraints. For the first time in the history of
processes is projected at US$8.7 billion by Market intelligence firm aviation, highly complex and intricate designs
Netscribes, which says that advanced AM technologies like electron could now be produced without welding and
beam melting (EBM) and direct metal laser melting (DMLM) will brazing, which meant these parts assemblies
drive much of this growth. could now be made with lesser number of
parts, resulting in weight savings and increased
Obvious Advantages durability, due to reduced joint welding. This
Engine manufacturers who are constantly pushing the boundaries technology with 3D modelling software, would
for turbofan engines for commercial jetliners have embraced addi- also allow rapid prototyping of new products,
tive manufacturing and the results have been extremely positive. reducing costs, timing and risk.
Last year saw Pratt & Whitney and CFM International, the dominant
aero engine manufacturers for single-aisle airplanes, building more Morris Technologies was acquired by GE
than 1,000 GTF and LEAP engines each. A key difference, was that Aviation in 2012 and the first major success
each of these engines featured 3D printed parts that have deliv- was the delivery of the 3D printed jet engine
ered substantial gains in efficiency. The LEAP engine featured the fuel nozzle for the LEAP engine. Not only were
first use of 3D printed parts for critical engine components, such the number of parts reduced from 20 to 1 but
as fuel nozzles, which were not only 25 percent lighter than previ- there was also a 25 percent weight reduction
ous models but also five times more durable than conventionally and part durability had increased by five times.
manufactured parts. More than three million flight hours have now There was also the added benefit of reduced
been accumulated by in-service LEAP engines, providing vitally assembly times. “The technology was incredi-
important data on the performance of the 3D printed fuel nozzles ble,” said Mohammad Ehteshami, former CEO
in operational service. CFM has racked up more than 17,275 total and Vice President of GE Additive in a 2017 GE
LEAP engine orders since 2011, valued at more than US$250 bil- blog post article. “In the design of jet engines,
lion (at list prices). In 2018, LEAP engine production overtook the complexity used to be expensive. But additive
CFM56 engine production for the first time, with 1,118 and 1044 allows you to get sophisticated and reduces

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