GKN Aerospace recently announced that it has established global centers of excellence for additive manufacturing in the United States, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Processes include: electron beam melting (EBM), laser powder bed (LPB), and stereolithography (SLA). A key objective is to develop large scale deposition systems that can produce large near-net AM preforms for engine and airframe structures, as well as optimized structures such as large bulkheads, wing ribs and spars, all of which would be too large for powder bed AM processes.
AM requires much less machining than traditional forgings or castings by adding material where needed. It can offer weight savings of 15-30% over traditional processes. Titanium AM parts produced for ULA’s Vulcan rocket engine in the United States are just one example of a large AM part produced by GKN Aerospace already in use. In the Vulcan rocket application, the individual large titanium alloy AM parts were welded together to form the casings.