en.Wedoany.com Reported - Lufthansa Technik has redesigned a polymer latch, which could not be sourced individually, as a titanium metal 3D-printed part for the roller shutter assemblies of Airbus A330, A340, and A380 aircraft. Due to recurring in-service wear of the original polymer component and the fact that the OEM does not sell the part separately, every latch failure previously required replacement of the entire roller shutter assembly, resulting in high maintenance costs.
The latch is located inside the roller shutter assembly and secures the roller brake and end caps. Instead of replicating the original part in polymer, Lufthansa Technik's additive manufacturing team redesigned it using titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. The company holds EASA Part 21.G and 21.J certifications, enabling it to independently carry out the design, manufacturing, and certification of flight-ready parts.
David Rudolz, project engineer at Lufthansa Technik, explained that the original component was an injection-molded polymer part with complex geometry, making it an ideal candidate for metal additive manufacturing. The company ultimately selected Materialise as its production partner, which holds EN 9100 certification for metal parts and operates a metal competence center, and which passed the necessary audits to become a qualified supplier of Lufthansa Technik's metal 3D-printed parts. The two parties coordinated on manufacturing processes, process stability requirements, and production controls. Rudolz noted that Materialise has maintained a close partnership with Lufthansa Technik for many years and was the preferred partner for this project.
The titanium latch has now reached flight-ready status and is in active service. The enhanced strength extends the expected service life of the part, and Lufthansa Technik can now repair the roller shutter by replacing only the latch, without having to replace the entire assembly. Subsequently, Materialise was designated as the official manufacturing partner for metal parts in Lufthansa Technik's supply chain.
