Airbus A350
Airbus has selected Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH to be the supplier for the lower cargo door actuator and valve for the A350. The complex valve will be manufactured by Liebherr using 3D printing.
At the beginning of 2019, Liebherr started the serial production of 3D printed parts, and successfully certified and delivered a printed proximity sensor bracket for the A350 nose landing gear. This bracket became the first Airbus system part to be qualified for titanium additive manufacturing.
The new component, the valve of the lower cargo door actuator system, is for the same aircraft but more complex. The company has also produced valves for the Pearl 10X engine for Rolls-Royce, was featured on Dassault Aviation’s Falcon 10X business jet.
Liebherr-Aerospace is on board of all Airbus commercial aircraft programs, and this contract is another demonstration of the trust the companies have in each other and the mutual commitment between the two to introduce cutting edge innovation.
Since being founded in Kirchdorf an der Iller in Southern Germany in 1949, Liebherr’s goal has been to achieving continuous technological innovation, and bringing industry-leading solutions to its customers.
Liebherr-Aerospace produces systems that are deployed in a variety of aircraft, including single aisle and regional aircraft, business jets, defence aircraft, defence transporters, defence training aircraft and defence helicopters.
The manufacturer produces aviation equipment such as flight control and actuation systems, gears and gearboxes, landing gear, air management systems and electronics.
This branch of the Liebherr Group has four aviation production plants, they have three in Europe and one in South America. The European plants are located in Lindeberg (Germany), Toulouse (France), Guaratinguetá, (Brazil) and Nizhny Novgorod (Russia).
Additive manufacturing has been used by Airbus many times to produce parts for various aircraft in its fleet, adopting both polymer and metal processes. In 2015, Stratasys revealed 1,000 printed components on the Airbus A350 XWB aircraft, before securing a contract renewal last year. Meanwhile, in 2017, Airbus installed its first 3D printed titanium bracket on the commercial A350 XWB aircraft.
