Pratt & Whitney is an aerospace manufacturer and division of United Technologies Corp. The company will use an additively manufactured aero-engine component for the first time in its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of commercial engines. The 3D printing component is anticipated to be part of the repair process by mid-2020 at Pratt & Whitney’s repair specialist in Singapore, Component Aerospace Singapore.
The use of Additive Manufacturing technology is the result of a collaboration by the company’s engineering experts, Component Aerospace Singapore, and the Land Systems division of ST Engineering, Singapore.
The company stated that the part will first be used in a fuel system component on one of its engine models. The alternative material solution is believed to reduce dependency on current material supply from conventional fabrication processes such as forging and casting.
Thanks to the out-of-the-box thinking by our employees at Component Aerospace Singapore, we are now another step closer to scaling the technology to meet our growing aftermarket operations, and industrialising 3D printing for the industry,”
-Brendon McWilliam, Executive Director, Aftermarket Operations, Asia Pacific.
The principal engineer of Component Aerospace Singapore Chin-Huat Sia stated “3D printing will be a game-changer for the MRO industry worldwide, especially in servicing even more commercial engines. This technology enables greater flexibility in our inventory management.”
Following this trailblazing initiative, both Pratt & Whitney and ST Engineering will examine how additive manufacturing can be applied for other aviation components and other engine types, and further developed to enable hybrid repairs and realize the full potential of 3D printing for commercial aftermarket operations.”
-Chin-Huat Sia
According to Pratt & Whitney, its engineering team extended ST Engineering’s application of the 3D printing methods for ground transport systems to produce the aero-engine component. Both organisations worked closely to ensure that in-house quality and process systems are certified to Pratt & Whitney’s requirements for aftermarket applications.
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Metal AM Pratt & Whitney announces first MRO application of additively manufactured aero-engine component https://www.metal-am.com/pratt-whitney-announces-first-mro-application-of-additively-manufactured-aero-engine-component/ published on Feb12 2020, re-edited and published by João Andrade on Feb20 2020;
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