GKN Aerospace has completed its largest structural titanium additive manufacturing (AM) demonstration to date with the production of a component measuring 2.5m — processed from approximately 45kg of titanium.
The demonstration, conducted in collaboration with aircraft manufacturer
Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, focused on the AM process of laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w), which successfully doubled the scale of previous components produced.
The ability to scale AM technology for large aerostructure components has a wide range of aerospace and defence applications. Additionally, the technology enables components to be produced faster than by current methods, uses raw materials more efficiently and may ultimately result in reduced costs.
Francisco Flores, vice president, production operations, Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems, said: “This collaborative milestone demonstrated cutting-edge manufacturing methods to build large aircraft components. AM technologies, combined with digital transformation and analysis capabilities are enabling novel approaches to design and AM processes.”
Manufacturing of this component took place at GKN Aerospace’s AM Centre of Excellence located at the US Department of Energy’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Demonstrations like this are vital to enabling full industrialisation of the LMD-w process for aerostructure parts which feature complex geometry found in titanium aerostructure designs.
Shawn Black, president of GKN Aerospace’s defence business, said: “This achievement further advances GKN Aerospace’s research into laser metal deposition, expanding on the material science and process development for aerostructure and engine components. We appreciate the opportunity to work with Northrop Grumman to accomplish this milestone in large-scale AM.”
GKN Aerospace opened its second US-based LMD-w cell at Oak Ridge in 2019 as the world’s largest pilot production cell of its kind, focused on the R&D of large-scale structural aircraft components. A third AM cell — the largest at 5 x 2m in size — will follow before the end of 2022, as GKN Aerospace continues to push the boundaries of AM technologies.
GKN Aerospace is already a world-leader in LMD-w technology for complex engine components from its Global Technology Centre in Trollhättan, Sweden. Future applications of AM for large-scale aerostructures will include: product development, low-rate initial production and the transition of technology development into production solutions. GKN Aerospace already has AM components flying on major platforms across civil, military and space markets.