Premium Aerotec produces additively manufactured brake components for Airbus A320
May 16, 2022
Premium Aerotec, headquartered in Augsburg, Germany, has added to the number of Airbus aircraft it now supplies with the production of additively manufactured titanium structural components for the Airbus A320 family. With this, the company is now actively supplying components for three Airbus aircraft programmes, the A320, A400M and A350XWB ranges.
The component, a single aisle brake manifold, is is used in the brake system of all A320 family aircraft, and to enable the changeover from conventional production to Additive Manufacturing was re-designed in the engineering departments of Premium Aerotec and Airbus. The conversion to Additive Manufacturing, with a weight reduction of 56%, leads to a significant cost saving – chiefly due to a significantly lower raw material input. In the future, all A320 family aircraft will be equipped with this additively manufactured component.
“With today’s delivery, we are once again impressively demonstrating our role as technology leader in Additive Manufacturing in aircraft construction – thanks to a great performance by the entire team and the excellent cooperation with our customer Airbus,” stated Dr Thomas Ehm, CEO of Premium Aerotec. “We are thus proving that the future technology of 3D printing is also fully applicable in the field of large-scale production – an important prerequisite for the upcoming ramp-up.”
Premium Aerotec has recognised the potential of Additive Manufacturing for a number of years, with initial development measures starting in 2013 and a Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) machine obtained in 2014. In 2016, the first individual part qualifications were achieved for the Airbus A400M, with double-walled titanium tube components used in the fuel system. In 2016, the company also began series production of printed structural components for the Airbus A350XWB long-haul aircraft. .
