The contract was signed at a ceremony attended by Stéphane Le Foll, French Minister for Agriculture, Agrifoods and Forestry, government spokesman and a member of the French parliament representing the Sarthe region. “This contract culminates three years of close collaboration between Snecma and Mecachrome,” said Etienne Galan, vice-president for purchasing at Snecma. “We are very proud of having teamed up to identify a competitive arrangement, based on a participative approach and a commitment to the same objective.” Titanium aluminide (TiAl), an alloy of titanium and aluminium, is a new-generation material with outstanding qualities. Standing up to very high temperatures (750°C), it will cut the weight of a blade in half compared with the nickel-based alloys traditionally used in low-pressure turbines. As part of the new LEAP engine, this alloy will be used for the first time in the world on a single-aisle commercial jet. It will contribute to the excellent performance of this new engine, which offers 15% lower fuel consumption than the best engines now in service. Snecma and Mecachrome developed a special manufacturing process for TiAI blades, and even created a complete production facility. Located at Mecachrome's plant in Sablé-sur-Sarthe, the new production line will require an investment of €60 million and create 150 specific jobs. Volume production will kick off in 2015, with a sharp ramp-up already in 2016, on the way to achieving the planned production rate of one blade every three minutes in 2019. “The LEAP engine features state-of-the-art technologies,” said Pierre Fabre, chairman and CEO of Snecma. “It will be produced at the same record production rates as its predecessor, the CFM56, with over 1,700 being made in 2019. To meet this tremendous challenge, Snecma is calling on key suppliers, with whom we want to develop real partnerships. Through the agreement signed today, for instance, we are melding Snecma's expertise in engine production with Mecachrome's long experience in mass production and the auto industry.” Arnaud de Ponnat, president of Mecachrome added: “For Mecachrome, this partnership is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate our cross-functional expertise, built up through work for both the aircraft and auto industries. Everybody at Mecachrome is delighted with our selection by Snecma to jointly develop this innovative process and then produce TiAl turbine blades for the LEAP engine.” www.snecma.fr www.mecachromegroup.com
