GKN begins $8.4m programme to develop titanium structures

Collaboration with US Air Force labs is set to test whether wire-based additive manufacturing can be used for large structural components.

GKN Aerospace has launched TITAN-AM (Titanium Industrialization and Technology Advancement for Near-net Additive Manufacturing), an $8.4 million programme with the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to advance Laser Metal Deposition with Wire technology for aerostructures.

The programme focuses on five areas needed to bring LMD-w into structural aerospace use. These include industrialising production of large titanium components, building validated material datasets, improving simulation tools, developing inspection methods and demonstrating the technology on selected structures.

Work will be carried out at the company’s Global Technology Centre in Fort Worth, Texas, which supports advanced manufacturing development and collaboration with defence partners.

“TITAN-AM represents a significant step forward in additive manufacturing for aerospace structures. By combining our deep manufacturing expertise with AFRL’s vision, we aim to accelerate the readiness of LMD-w technology and demonstrate its value on operational titanium structural components,” says David Bond, CTO Airframes, GKN Aerospace.

GKN Aerospace is already producing additively manufactured structures in serial production, including the fan case mount ring for the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine family, used on aircraft such as the Airbus A220 and Embraer E195-E2.

The programme aims to reduce material waste, shorten lead times and support more complex structural designs through wider adoption of additive manufacturing.