Additive Manufacturing Development for Large Aero-Engine Structural Components

Pratt & Whitney and GKN Aerospace have signed a Technology Development Agreement to evaluate additive manufacturing processes for large structural components in military propulsion applications. Supported by the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA), the initiative focuses on demonstrating the feasibility of manufacturing a full-scale main engine case using automated directed energy technology.

Process Technology and Responsibilities
The development programme utilizes GKN Aerospace’s laser-directed energy deposition with wire (L-DED-w) process, executed at its facility in Kongsberg, Norway. GKN Aerospace provides the additive manufacturing process architecture, wire-feed hardware integration, and laser deposition parameter controls optimized for high-rate material deposition. Pratt & Whitney manages the engineering integration, structural requirements, and compatibility assessment to ensure the printed component maintains mechanical interchangeability and structural equivalence with existing forging and machining specifications.

Operational Objectives and Deployment Timeline
The L-DED-w process replaces conventional subtractive manufacturing from large forgings, targeting reductions in material input requirements, raw material lead times, and machining overhead. By building near-net-shape geometry directly from wire feed, the process aims to mitigate supply chain bottlenecks for critical high-performance aerospace structures.

The initial demonstrator component is scheduled for completion in 2027, followed by testing and formal qualification efforts targeted for completion by the end of 2028.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

www.gknaerospace.com