At the end of last year, additive-manufacturing (AM) company EOS (www.eos.info/en) introduced Eostate MeltPool, an addition to its EOS M 290 system for direct metal laser sintering (DMLS).

This provides automated and ‘intelligent’ process monitoring in real time — for every spot, every layer and every part — allowing automated monitoring of the melting pool and a view inside the part during the build process.

Lufthansa Technik (www.lufthansa-technik.com) is the first customer to acquire the complete Eostate MeltPool solution.

Simon Feicks, project manager (additive manufacturing, engine services), said: “We selected the EOS solution for several reasons. We were impressed with the stability of the process, the fact that AM technology has already proved itself with engine manufacturers, and the combination of EOS core competencies.

"On this basis, we will be preparing for future component generations that are optimised for AM, so that we can continue to defend our leadership position in the intensely competitive environment in which we operate.”

In its engine department, Lufthansa Technik focuses on a ‘hybrid repair’ approach. Mr Feicks says the company now wants to get ready for the day when components from the new engine generation, which are made with AM, arrive in the workshops for repair.

“Lufthansa Technik firmly believes that AM is a technology of the future. It is time to change our way of thinking; milling was yesterday.”

With more than 30 subsidiaries and affiliated companies and over 25,000 employees world-wide, the Lufthansa Technik group is a leading provider of technical aviation services, covering the entire service range for commercial aircraft, including maintenance, repairs, overhauls, modifications and retrofits.