Liebherr starts serial production of 3D printed components for Airbus

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

Liebherr has collaborated 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, Liebherr’s centre of excellence for flight control systems, landing gears, gears and gearboxes, reached a key milestone: authorisation 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.

Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation is one of 11 divisional control companies within the Liebherr Group and coordinates all activities in the aerospace and transportation systems sectors.

Liebherr-Aerospace is a leading supplier of systems for the aviation industry and has more than five decades of experience in this field. The range of aviation equipment produced by Liebherr for the civil and military sectors includes flight control and actuation systems, landing gear and air management systems, as well as gears, gearboxes and electronics. These systems are deployed in wide-bodied aircraft, single aisle and regional aircraft, business jets, combat aircraft, military transporters, military training aircraft, civil helicopters and combat helicopters.

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