Pratt & Whitney, East Hartford, Conn., reports that its first production PurePower PW1500G engines will also be the first jet engines to include entry-into-service parts produced via additive manufacturing. The engines, which will be delivered to Bombardier this year, will include compressor stators and synch-ring brackets made via AM.
“We are a vertically integrated additive manufacturing producer with our own metal powder source and the printers necessary to create parts by this innovative technology,” said Tom Prete, Pratt & Whitney’s Engineering vice president.
In production tests, Pratt & Whitney has achieved up to 15 months lead-time savings compared to conventional manufacturing processes, and up to 50% weight reduction in a single part. The PurePower engine family parts will be the first produced via 3D printing powder bed additive manufacturing.
Related manufacturing technologies that will be used in PurePower engine production include metal injection molding, electron beam melting, and laser powder bed fusion (including direct metal laser sintering).
Pratt & Whitney and the University of Connecticut are also collaborating to advance additive manufacturing research and development. The Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center is the first of its kind in the Northeast region to work with metal powder bed technologies. With more than $4.5 million invested, the center will further advance its additive manufacturing capabilities, while providing educational opportunities for the next generation of manufacturing engineers.
