First IPC module shipped for Trent 1000 engines

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it had completed assembly of its first intermediate pressure compressor (IPC) module for the Trent 1000, Rolls-Royce Plc.'s state-of-the-art engine for passenger planes. The first module was shipped to its Derby facility.

Kawasaki has been participating in the development and production of the Trent 1000 as a risk- and revenue-sharing partner. It is responsible for the production and assembly of the IPC module, and played a key role in the design and development of the IPC module in conjunction with Rolls-Royce. In October 2005, it began shipping IPC drums and other components. It has now completed the entire process, from parts production to assembly, and is shipping complete modules.

The IPC module is a critical engine part. It comprises an IPC rotor, which includes the IPC drum with eight titanium alloy discs welded together by electron beam, rotors and stators, an IPC case, and a front-bearing housing.

The IPC module will be used in the flying test bed engine of a Boeing 747 owned by Rolls-Royce and evaluated in operational tests in the first quarter of 2007.

The Trent 1000, the latest in the jet engine series, is for passenger aircraft with 53,000 to 75,000 pounds of thrust. It will be installed on the 250- to 300-seat Boeing 787 Dreamliner, scheduled to enter service in 2008. Rolls-Royce has already received orders for the engine from All Nippon Airways (ANA), Air New Zealand, Northwest Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Icelandair, and leasing companies such as ILFC, LCAL and Pegasus Aviation Finance for Blue Panorama Airlines.