MTU Aero Engines establishes new team to focus on Additive Manufacturing for aerospace

News
May 22, 2018

May 22, 2018

MTU Aero Engines establishes new team to focus on Additive Manufacturing for aerospace

MTU’s Dr Jürgen Kraus, Director, Additive Manufacturing, will lead the new department (Courtesy MTU)

 

MTU Aero Engines, Munich, Germany, has established a new department dedicated to Additive Manufacturing for aerospace applications. Led by Dr Jürgen Kraus, the department is staffed by around thirty professionals from various technical disciplines including design engineers, structural mechanics engineers, process specialists and operations scheduling experts.

According to Lars Wagner, MTU’s Chief Operating Officer, the department aims to “maintain and build [the company’s] competitive edge,” and accelerate the development of AM technologies “by pulling all activities – from design to technology development and all the way to production – together in one unit.”The team is said to be looking into new conceptual designs for applications and constructions from a bionics viewpoint, with the aim of pushing the development of the production technology forward and industrialising the entire process chain.

“With the development of new machine types and improved online process control, it will be possible to produce an increasing number of components by Additive Manufacturing in a cost-effective manner,” explained Dr Jörg Henne, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Technology. MTU uses Selective Laser Melting in the production of its borescope bosses for the PurePower®PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engine, which has powered Airbus’s A320neo jetliner since 2013.

 

MTU Aero Engines establishes new team to focus on Additive Manufacturing for aerospace

The PurePower®PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engine uses metal AM borescope bosses (Courtesy MTU Aero Engines)

 

As part of Clean Sky, thought to be the largest technology initiative ever launched in Europe, MTU is currently working on a seal carrier manufactured using AM processes. The inner ring, featuring an integral honeycomb structure, will be installed in the high-pressure compressor and is expected to contribute to improving clearance control, and hence increasing efficiency. Additional components, such as bearing housings, brackets and struts, will follow. The company stated that it also plans to further enhance the process monitoring system and improve the surface finish.

MTU first began developing its Additive Manufacturing capabilities more than ten years ago, “making tools, such as spray nozzles and grinding wheels, as well as parts with a simple geometry for experimental testing,” explained Kraus. Later, castings and milled parts were replaced using AM parts, and work on the turbofan engine’s borescope bosses began to pick up speed. Now, MTU stated that it plans to redesign and produce a number of lightweight components across its product offering.

www.mtu.de

News
May 22, 2018

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine

Download PDF
 

Extensive AM industry news coverage, as well as the following exclusive deep-dive articles:

  • Metal AM in the aerospace sector: from early successes to the transformation of an industry
  • Slowly but surely: Industrialising metal Additive Manufacturing the Norwegian way
  • Hot Isostatic Pressing and AM: How to improve product quality and productivity for critical applications
  • The convergence of Additive Manufacturing and Artificial Intelligence: Envisioning a future that is closer than you think
  • ADAXIS: On a mission to reduce the layers of complexity in robotic Additive Manufacturing
  • Exploiting your metal Additive Manufacturing data assets: Faster industrialisation and new revenue streams

The world of metal AM to your inbox

Don't miss any new issue of Metal AM magazine, and get the latest industry news. Sign up to our twice weekly newsletter.

Sign up

Discover our magazine archive…

The free to access Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine archive offers unparalleled insight into the world of metal Additive Manufacturing from a commercial and technological perspective through:

  • Reports on visits to leading metal AM part manufacturers and industry suppliers
  • Articles on technology and application trends
  • Information on materials developments
  • Reviews of key technical presentations from the international conference circuit
  • International industry news

All past issues are available to download as free PDFs or view in your browser.

Browse the archive

Looking for AM machines, metal powders or part manufacturing services?

Discover suppliers of these and more in our comprehensive advertisers’ index and buyer’s guide, available in the back of Metal AM magazine.

  • AM machines
  • Process monitoring & calibration
  • Heat treatment & sintering
  • HIP systems & services
  • Pre- & post-processing technology
  • Powders, powder production and analysis
  • Part manufacturers
  • Consulting, training & market data
View online
Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap