GKN aerospace engine system will use 3D printing-additive manufacturing technology to develop and manufacture fan housing mounting rings and fan gaskets for the GTF series of Pratt & Whitney PW1500G and PW1900G engines.
According to the GKN aerospace engine system, 3D printing can greatly reduce the use of raw materials, reduce product life cycle energy costs, and help reduce carbon emissions.
The Pratt & Whitney GTF engine series was launched in 2016. Since then, the engine has achieved its promise to reduce fuel consumption by 16% to 20% and significantly reduce its carbon emissions and noise footprint.
As part of the GTF series, PW1900G engines that power Embraer E190-E2 aircraft and PW1500G engines that power Airbus A220 aircraft will be included in the RRSP program. In the plan, GKN Aerospace Engine System is responsible for designing and manufacturing the turbine exhaust casing (TEC) and intermediate compressor casing (IMC), and the manufacture of the engine's low-pressure turbine (LPT) shaft.
The deepening of the cooperation has also strengthened the level of investment of GKN Aerospace Engine System in these engine projects and its role as a long-term supplier of Pratt & Whitney engine components. In addition, GKN supplies Pratt & Whitney with components for the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft and Mitsubishi Regional Aircraft (MRJ).
According to the understanding of 3D Science Valley, an additive manufacturing process used by GKN in the RRSP plan is to combine wire raw materials with a laser mounted on a robotic arm, and use wire laser metal deposition (LMD-w). Realize metal 3D printing process.
Just this month, GKN also continued to strengthen cooperation with the American Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), and reached a $ 17.8 million agreement, and commissioned ORNL to build a new type of additive manufacturing production unit-Cell 2, this additive manufacturing The production unit uses LMD-w technology to develop large aircraft components.
GKN is also involved in the EU-Canadian-funded AMOS project, which aims to develop directed energy deposition (DED) technology to repair parts used in aerospace.
As mentioned in the book "3D Printing and Industrial Manufacturing", "The value of 3D printing lies in enabling the creation of value-added manufacturing industries." The energy created by 3D printing added value is being verified. From the perspective of 3D Science Valley, as GE ’s LEAP engine reveals GE ’s true big winner in the field of 3D printing, the entire aerospace industry has increased its investment in 3D printing. GKN and Pratt & Whitney's enhanced cooperation can be said to be just the "tip of the iceberg" in the aerospace industry's increased investment in 3D printing.
3D printing has shown exponential growth in the aerospace field to create energy.
As GE laments the revolution in 3D printing: the core of this part is only the size of a walnut, but it has changed the way GE makes aero engines.
The 3D printed parts were carried on the LEAP engines of Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. The total number of orders for this engine at the end of 2018 has already exceeded 16,000 units, with a total value of more than 236 billion US dollars. At the Paris Air Show just past June 2019, the LEAP engine received another $ 55 billion in orders.
As mentioned by 3D Science Valley in the book "3D Printing and Industrial Manufacturing", 3D printing is giving birth to the design and manufacturing of the next generation of aircraft.
From the perspective of 3D Science Valley, the difference of one step can easily lead to the difference of thousands of miles, and the peers must invest a higher price to narrow the gap. Pratt & Whitney has strengthened its investment in 3D printing across the board, and in the process of working with partners, has adopted a full participation approach, which has played a key role in promoting the certification of 3D printing.
Not long ago, Pratt & Whitney tested the 3D printed Integrated Leaf Disc (IBR) into its second phase.
The other, Safran 3D printed LEAP engine lubrication device has been certified by EASA1 and FAA2 airworthiness authorities. Safran has strengthened its determination to take advantage of the undeniable advantages of 3D printing to develop a series of newly designed specific parts that cannot be manufactured by traditional production methods.
Just recently, based on the Arrius helicopter engine, Safran also launched the Add + engine prototype for helicopters, with 30% of its components manufactured using additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology. This development work started in early 2018 and is currently being assembled and will be on ground in the fall of 2020.
Here, we can deeply feel the two truths in the field of 3D printing:
-The advantage of 3D printing is to produce products that are difficult to process with traditional processing methods, and create added value from the source of changing product design. If you are engaged in 3D printing, you do not take advantage of this, which means that the creation of added value has not been exerted.
-The combination of 3D printing and applications does not happen overnight. It takes years or even decades to accumulate. This process is slow and tortures the mind. However, without this accumulation process, it is impossible to obtain a later exponential growth model. Unable to capture the fruits of added value creation.