Materialise produces certified titanium latch for Lufthansa Technik, replacing fragile polymer part in Airbus widebody aircraft

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Lufthansa Technik has adopted 3D-printed titanium latches produced by Belgian additive manufacturing company Materialise to replace the fragile polymer originals in the roller shade assemblies of Airbus A330, A340, and A380 aircraft. The new Ti-6Al-4V titanium latches are manufactured in accordance with EN 9100 certification standards and are now installed on in-service aircraft.

The original component was an injection-molded polymer part responsible for securing the roller brake and end caps within the roller shade assembly, but it repeatedly suffered wear-related failures in service. The issue was that the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) does not sell this spare part separately, forcing Lufthansa Technik to replace the entire roller shade assembly each time a latch failed, at significant cost.

Rather than simply replicating the polymer part in metal, Lufthansa Technik's additive manufacturing team redesigned the component specifically for the 3D printing process. David Rudolz, project engineer at Lufthansa Technik, stated: "The original part was an injection-molded polymer component with a complex structure, and we immediately identified it as an ideal candidate for metal additive manufacturing."The redesign took into account the different mechanical properties of titanium alloy compared to polymer, with engineers adjusting the component's elastic response, geometry, and wall thickness to enhance durability while maintaining functionality.

Lufthansa Technik holds EASA Part 21.G and 21.J certifications, giving it the capability to independently design, manufacture, and certify airworthy components. For production, Lufthansa Technik selected long-standing partner Materialise, primarily based on its EN 9100 certification for metal parts and the capacity of its metal competence center. Rudolz commented: "Materialise is one of our preferred partners and was the first choice for this project."Before production commenced, Materialise passed the supplier qualification audit, after which the two companies worked closely on production processes, process stability requirements, and production controls.

The titanium latch has now received airworthiness approval and entered actual service. Thanks to the higher strength of the titanium alloy, the expected service life of the component has been extended. Lufthansa Technik can now replace the latch individually when it fails, significantly reducing maintenance costs and repair time. This project has also established Materialise as an official "workbench" for Lufthansa Technik's metal parts production.

This collaboration builds on Materialise's deep aerospace experience. The company's partnership with Airbus began in 2015, initially supplying FDM-printed components for the A350 XWB. By 2021, the collaboration had expanded to cover 100 different airworthy parts for the A350, with approximately 26,000 units installed across the global fleet. That same year, Materialise received qualification for 3D printing SLS parts for Airbus. To date, Materialise has 3D-printed over 500,000 aerospace components, encompassing more than 4,000 certified parts.