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Revolution in aviation: towards an environmentally friendly future with 3D printing!
The BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg is researching sustainable manufacturing technologies for aviation in the LuFo project “FAST”, funded by the BMWK.
Revolution in aviation: towards an environmentally friendly future with 3D printing!
On July 4, 2025, an important status meeting of the project participants took place as part of the LuFo aviation research program entitled “FAST”. The project is from Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and has the ambitious goal of setting new standards for environmentally friendly aviation. The focus is on the development of fast, digitally networked manufacturing processes for hybrid-electric drive systems.
The consortium is led by Rolls-Royce Germany, which coordinates the collaboration with various industrial and research partners. An outstanding element of the project is research at the Hybrid Manufacturing Department (FHF) at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, where the accelerated production of titanium components (Ti-6Al-4V) using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) is being investigated. The development cycle should be significantly shortened without compromising quality and operational safety.
Innovations through additive manufacturing
The challenges facing the aviation industry require innovative approaches. The Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) plays a central role by melting powders in layers. This technology allows for maximum material utilization while minimizing waste. Compared to traditional methods such as casting, ALM allows the desired structure to be created directly, optimizing the design of components.
A notable example is the Trent XWB-97 engine, which includes the largest engine components ever 3D printed. These were successfully tested in a test flight and underline the versatility of additive manufacturing in aviation.
The FAST project also makes notable progress in the area of process optimization. The L-PBF process was accelerated by 270%, resulting in a significant reduction in the energy required for material processing. The validation of mechanical properties and surface quality for aviation approval has the highest priority.
Environmentally friendly design of aviation
Another building block for the future of aviation is this green design, which is driven by strict political climate protection targets. Lightweight construction and the use of new high-performance materials play a crucial role here. The LPBF process in particular enables the production of complex, high-strength and lightweight components for aviation and is the focus of the Fraunhofer ILT's TIRIKA research initiative, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection.
The use of hydrogen as an emission-free energy source is being intensively pursued. By using special powders in collaboration with material manufacturers, new, complex geometries and functional structures can be created that cannot be implemented using conventional processes. Precise sensor technology detects artifacts up to 0.4 millimeters in the powder bed, which reduces time-consuming downstream tests and increases production efficiency.
The project has a total duration of four years and runs until August 2026. During this time, the central results must be demonstrated and deepened using realistic functional prototypes. Felix Jensch, a research fellow at FHF, was awarded the PhD Sustainability Bursary Award 2025 for his notable contributions to the FAST project, presented on May 14, 2025 in Derby, UK.
The award highlights innovative developments in engineering that benefit the environment. The FAST project shows that the aviation industry is on the way to successfully implementing more environmentally friendly solutions through modern manufacturing technologies.