Honeywell has announced the successful certification of its first 3D printed flight-critical engine part.
The milestone refers to a #4/5 bearing housing, a major structural component inside the ATF3-6 turbofan engine on board the Dassault Falcon 20G maritime patrol aircraft, used by the French Navy for patrol and search-and-rescue missions.
There are believed to be only a small number of these engines still in operation which has led to substantial challenges for operators in sourcing replacement parts. Now, instead of using traditional mould making and casting methods, which can prove costly for such low volumes, Honeywell is using metal additive manufacturing to quickly produce the parts in small quantities.
“Though there aren’t many in service, Honeywell is responsible for supporting and maintaining these engines. We had to find a way to address these supply chain issues and keep these aircraft flying,” said Jon Hobgood, vice president of manufacturing engineering, Honeywell Aerospace. “We were able to use our expertise in additive manufacturing to produce the qualified part much faster, reducing our lead time from approximately two years to two weeks.”
Honeywell has been working with the FAA on the development and certification of multiple AM components. With this first approval under the normal FAA delegated authority, it is believed that this will help further reduce the time for future qualification and solve critical supply chain shortages for complex engine parts. Production is currently underway for the #4/5 bearing housing and dozens more are expected to be produced by the end of this year.
“This is a major milestone for Honeywell because it demonstrates the maturity of our additive manufacturing operations and paves the way for us to print more certified, flight-critical parts in the future,” Hobgood added. “It also is a major win for the additive industry, as flight-critical parts face heavy scrutiny and high standards for qualification and installation on aircraft, but this shows it can be done.”
