The B-52 Engine Gets a 3D-Printed Upgrade

The U.S. Air Force 3D-printed the first metal jet engine part using additive manufacturing technology.The service can’t wait to print parts that are expensive or no longer made by manufacturers.The Air Force is only gradually printing more critical parts to ensure the process is safe and effective.

he U.S. Air Force has 3D-printed its first metal part for a jet engine. The replacement part, made for the engine that powers the B-52 Stratofortress bomber, will keep the plane flying until new engines are fitted to the aging jets in the late 2020s.

The Air Force likes additive manufacturing technology, with its promise of cheap and always available parts, but is proceeding slowly to ensure it doesn’t push the tech too far to potentially disastrous results.

Air Force engineers at Tinker Air Force Base printed the part, an anti-icing gasket for the Pratt & Whitney TF33-P103 turbofan engine, after the supply chain for the original equipment manufacturer parts ran out. The TF33 is the original engine installed on the B-52H bombers as they rolled off the production lines in the early 1960s. Each bomber is powered by eight of the engines, which also power the E-3 Sentry airborne command and control aircraft and E-8 JSTARS surveillance aircraft.

Source: popularmechanics.com

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