RAF Aircraft Recycled as Metal Powders to 3D Print New Aeronautical Parts

The Royal Air Force (RAF) has just revealed an interesting partnership with Rolls-Royce, involving the use of additive manufacturing. Together, they are taking in the Tornado 2 Tempest program, which involves recycling spare parts from obsolete fighter aircraft and transforming them into 3D printable powders. After a cleaning and atomization process, the powder can then be used to design components for the new Orpheus engine, part of the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program. The recycled parts were chosen for their titanium content, a metal particularly sought-after in the aerospace sector for its lightness, strength, low toxicity and high resistance to corrosion.

Many industries are looking to reduce not only their ecological footprint, but also their dependence on complex supply chains. Additive manufacturing could be the perfect tool to alleviate some of these challenges, since it enables local, on-demand production while reducing the amount of waste produced. What’s more, the technology can also reduce the weight of imagined parts, while increasing their strength and lowering the final cost. On paper, then, it looks like the perfect technique for creating tomorrow’s aircraft. In practice, it’s more complex, but developments are promising.

Some components of Tornado fighter jets are atomized into metal powders suitable for additive manufacturing.

Rolls-Royce Uses Additive Manufacturing to Design Orpheus

Rolls-Royce has been working on its Orpheus range for some time now: these are small, relatively affordable turbofan engines for the defense market. Above all, this project has enabled the company to introduce new working practices and test other production methods, such as additive manufacturing. Tests already carried out by the British company have been carried out on engines including 3D-printed parts. The ultimate aim is to be able to design all major components using additive manufacturing.