GKN Aerospace has become the first company in the world to win a key industry accreditation for a laser-wire metal additive manufacturing process, a step toward using it more widely in aerospace and defense production.
The accreditation, from the aerospace industry’s Nadcap special-process program, covers laser wire directed energy deposition (L-DED-w). The process uses a laser to melt metal wire feedstock and build up components layer by layer – a wire-fed variant of the laser-directed energy deposition that GKN already uses to 3D-print load-bearing jet-engine parts.
GKN has spent years industrializing metal additive manufacturing, using techniques such as laser powder bed fusion and directed energy deposition to make high-temperature parts from titanium and alloys such as Inconel 718. It has already delivered certified additively manufactured components that are flying today, including more than 600 fan-case mount rings produced for the PW1000G geared turbofan engine.
Nadcap is a widely recognized industry accreditation program and validated GKN’s process controls, operating procedures, personnel qualifications, equipment, and material control and traceability. GKN Aerospace said accreditation can give its customers added confidence and a stronger foundation for taking L-DED-w into full production.
Sébastien Aknouche, senior vice president of material solutions at GKN Aerospace, said, “For additive manufacturing, that means having robust and repeatable processes that can support the move into industrial production. Nadcap accreditation is an important step in that journey, giving us a stronger foundation for broader application of L-DED-w across aerospace and defense.”
Additive manufacturing can produce complex aerospace components while reducing material use and opening new design possibilities. GKN added that the accreditation provides a validated foundation for using L-DED-w for more aerospace and defense manufacturing applications.
