US Air Force
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Optomec to develop additive repair process for USAF aircraft engine parts
The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded a contract to Optomec to develop an additive repair process for the aircraft engines’ oversized titanium components. The components are used on USAF aircraft, including the F22 Raptor and F35 Lightning II. Under the $1.5m contract, Optomec will develop metal additive manufacturing system, which will help repair the parts.
The integrally bladed rotors (IBR), also known as the blisks, are single-piece compressor rotors that often gets damaged or worn out in the normal use. Cost of replacing each of the lightweight, titanium-alloy blisks can amount to more than $500,000, noted the company. With Optomec’s additive repair process, the USAF is expected to save more than 80% of the total repair cost, including tens of millions of dollars in annual investment.