Liebherr-Aerospace starts serial production of 3D printed components

Liebherr-Aerospace has begun printing 3D components for Airbus. Following approval from the European aircraft manufacturer, the first equipment fit for flight that Liebherr will be supplying will be nose landing gear brackets for the Airbus A350 XWB.

Liebherr has collaborated intensively with Airbus over the past few years and development of additive manufacturing is advancing at a fast pace. These brackets will be the first ever introduced Airbus systems parts to be qualified for printed titanium.

"This milestone shows that we are a recognized pioneer and trusted partner in the aerospace world," said Josef Gropper, Managing Director and COO of Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS. "We are planning to produce more complex components in the future in order to fully utilize the potential of additive manufacturing."

In the fall of 2017, Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Liebherr's centre of excellence for flight control systems, landing gears, gears and gearboxes, reached a key milestone: authorization by the German Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrtbundesamt, LBA) to produce components using additive manufacturing. Liebherr has since been printing class 2 and 3 titanium serial parts, delivering them under EASA Form 1.