Pratt & Whitney is rolling out a new additive-manufacturing repair process for PW1000G geared turbofans (GTFs) and revealed a major expansion of GTF maintenance capacity through a partnership with Delta Air Lines.
The aftermarket-focused moves come as P&W and competing engine makers work to address supply-chain troubles that have constrained engine maintenance capacity. P&W has been additionally impacted by its recall of GTFs due to a powder-metal manufacturing process.
The company on 8 April said it had developed a new additive-manufacturing – also known as 3D printing – process for repairing GTF turbine inner cases. The process, which addresses wear on inner-case seals, “will reduce process time by more than 60%” compared with repairs using the previous process, P&W says.
“This will be a significant repair using additive manufacturing on a structural component…it’s a much more-efficient way to repair a part,” says P&W vice-president of aftermarket operations Kevin Kirkpatrick.
Traditional repair involves cutting away the “ring” component of the inner case and then welding on a new ring made from forged metal. But the process is “very expensive” and generates significant heat that can compromise the components, meaning the repair can only be done once, Kirkpatrick says.
The new 3D-printing fix also involves cutting off the ring. But instead of welding on a replacement, the ring is rebuilt, layer by layer, on the case using powder metal and lasers, a process specifically called ’directed energy deposition’, or DED, he adds.
Kirkpatrick says the repair is unrelated to the PW1000G recall due to errors involving powder-metal manufacturing.
In addition to costing less, the 3D-printed fix is much faster, can be repeated multiple times and will free up forging capacity for producing other components, helping address “material supply constraints”, he adds.
P&W’s in-house technology incubator, called the North American Technology Accelerator, developed the process and has advanced it to Technology Readiness Level 6, meaning it is “ready for production”, says Kirkpatrick.
A P&W site in Arkansas performs the ring repairs – roughly a few dozen monthly – using the traditional process. That site will be the first to convert to the 3D-printed method, achieving full production readiness in the first quarter of 2026.
“The company is currently working to industrialise the repair, which will then be scaled and applied throughout the global GTF MRO network,” P&W says.
The company estimates it will save $100 million over five years by using additive-manufacturing repair methods.
P&W has also disclosed an agreement with Delta under which Delta TechOps will expand by 30% its overhaul capacity for PW1500Gs, which power A220s, at its Atlanta facility over the next decade. P&W anticipates the expansion will see the site overhauling 450 PW1500Gs annually.
The companies had agreed to the expansion at the end of last year, P&W says.
Delta joined P&W’s GTF maintenance network in 2019. The carrier operates PW1000G-powered Airbus A220s and A321neos.
