Safran relies on ceramic 3D printing from Lithoz for complex engine components

The French engine manufacturer Safran Aircraft Engines has installed three CeraFab System S65 printers from the Austrian company Lithoz at its facility in Gennevilliers near Paris. The new system is intended to establish series production of ceramic casting cores for turbine blades. These components are central to the manufacture of modern engines designed to operate more efficiently at higher operating temperatures.

The decision to adopt ceramic 3D printing is based on the increasing demands for cooling the high-pressure turbines of future engine generations. To improve thermal resistance, turbine blades must feature fine and complex cooling channels. Conventional manufacturing methods reach their geometric limits here. In contrast, the Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) process developed by Lithoz enables the precise and reproducible production of such structures with high dimensional accuracy and smooth surfaces.

The ceramic formulations were developed over several years through close collaboration between Lithoz and Safran. According to the companies, the combination of material and the LCM process meets the requirements for repeatability and industrial scalability. Safran also emphasizes that the systems are specifically designed for ergonomic operation, short production times, and traceability within the aerospace context.

Johannes Homa, Lithoz CEO: “The installation of these three CeraFab S65 printers is a true milestone for both Lithoz and the aerospace industry. As Safran Aircraft Engines move forward to further develop their serial additive manufacturing process for ceramic casting cores, Lithoz remains strongly committed to providing our constant support in this important project.”

With this new technology, Safran aims to further expand the additive series production of casting cores. In the long term, this is expected to reduce manufacturing costs and shorten development times while simultaneously increasing the performance of modern turbine components.