At this year’s Paris Air Show, Oerlikon is presenting a broad spectrum of manufacturing technologies for the aerospace industry – with a special focus on additive manufacturing and high-performance coatings. The focus will be on parts for engines and structural components used in both civil aircraft and military platforms. The increasing use of 3D printing is aimed at reducing weight and freedom of design while at the same time increasing resilience.
One example of this is newly developed 3D-printed cooling plates, which are to be used in fighter aircraft in the future. These components benefit from complex internal geometries that cannot be produced conventionally or only with considerable effort. Production takes place at the new plant in Huntersville, North Carolina, which was set up specifically for the production of safety-critical additive components in the aerospace and defense sector.
In addition to additive manufacturing, surface modification plays a central role. Among other things, Oerlikon is exhibiting static guide vanes for engines in Paris, which are provided with coatings such as BALORA PVD MCrAlY or BALINIT TURBINE PRO. These protect against thermal stress, oxidation and erosion – conditions that are common in turbines at up to 2,000 °C. Both service life and efficiency can be improved through targeted material and coating development.
Another focus is on the machining of new lightweight materials such as CFRP. BALDIA VARIA, a diamond-based coating that has been optimized for tools used with abrasive composite materials, was developed for this purpose. The aim is to achieve more efficient machining while maintaining dimensional accuracy, especially for components with tight tolerances.
Oerlikon is thus positioning itself as a technology-oriented supplier that does not view additive manufacturing in isolation, but rather integrates it into existing manufacturing and quality processes. The focus here is on industrial scalability, traceability and compatibility with existing aviation standards such as AS9100 and Nadcap.
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