Premium AEROTEC now also prints for the A320 in series production

Varel, 11 May 2022 – Premium AEROTEC is an international pioneer in the field of metallic 3D printing in aircraft construction. Now the aerospace supplier has been able to celebrate another success in this field. At the Varel site, series-produced components for the Airbus A320 Family with additively manufactured structural components made of titanium were handed over to the customer for the first time. This means that Premium AEROTEC is already supplying additively manufactured components in series for three Airbus aircraft programmes – after the A400M and the A350XWB.

The component now delivered is the so-called "Single Aisle Brake Manifold" – a hydraulic manifold that is used in the brake system of all A320 Family aircraft. The component was first constructively revised in the engineering departments of Premium AEROTEC and Airbus to enable the changeover from the conventional to the additive manufacturing process.

The conversion of the system component to the additive manufacturing method leads to a significant cost reduction, in particular due to a significantly lower raw material input – with the same component characteristics and quality. For example, the weight of the component could be reduced by 56 per cent through the new production method. In 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," said 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 recognised the potential of additive manufacturing very early on: initial development measures started in 2013 and a system for additive manufacturing using the socalled laser powder bed process was procured as early as 2014. In 2016, the first individual part qualifications were achieved with the A400M vent bend family – double-walled titanium tubes from the ventilation system of the A400M in the tanker version. This made Premium AEROTEC one of the first companies in the world to launch 3D series production for complex titanium aircraft components. In 2016, the company also began series production of printed structural
components for the A350XWB long-haul aircraft. From development to industrialisation and production to delivery of the component in accordance with aviation regulations, the company masters the entire process chain for additively manufactured titanium components.

Premium AEROTEC is a global player in the aviation industry. Its core business is the development and production of aerostructures made of metal and carbon fibre composites. The company has sites in Augsburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Nordenham and Varel in Germany and in Braşov, Romania. Premium AEROTEC employs a total of around 7,600 people.