The Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is working to increase the sustainability of aerospace manufacturing with 3D printing. Based in Aachen, Germany, the research organization’s additive manufacturing know-how is helping aerospace companies meet European Union sustainability regulations.
For example, Fraunhofer ILT is developing metal powders for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) 3D printing to support emission-free hydrogen rocket engines. Developed through the Technologies and Innovations for Resource-saving, Climate-friendly Aviation (TRIKA) initiative, the materials facilitate the production of lightweight engine parts that meet the strict industry requirements for hydrogen propulsion systems.
The researchers are also conducting life cycle assessments (LCAs) to determine the ecological and cost advantages of LPBF 3D printing for aerospace applications. Dr. Tim Lantzsch, head of the Laser Powder Bed Fusion department at Fraunhofer ILT, has called these assessments “indispensable” for determining manufacturing sustainability.
Additionally, Fraunhofer is working on a process to more efficiently and precisely produce rocket components using laser material deposition (LMD) 3D printing. By October 2025, the project seeks to 3D print rocket nozzles for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Ariane program and fabricate a full-scale demonstrator. Leveraging metal additive manufacturing to produce these parts reportedly cuts costs and shortens production times.
Zero-emission hydrogen engines
The EU’s ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation requires a 60% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to 1990 levels by 2050. Additionally, the new European Space Law (EUSL) will include new rules on space sustainability.
To meet these demanding deadlines, Fraunhofer ILT points to the value offered by LPBF 3D printing. The researchers highlighted its ability to produce lightweight, complex, and high-strength parts optimized for aerospace and aviation applications.
The TIRIKA initiative, headed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, seeks to promote hydrogen as an emissions-free energy source for the aviation sector. Through this project, Fraunhofer ILT is collaborating with material manufacturers to produce aluminum-alloy powders suitable for 3D printing hydrogen engine parts. The researchers have also adapted LPBF processes for commercially available materials, validating them for engine production applications.
According to Fraunhofer ILT researcher Luke Schüller, the team’s 3D printing process can achieve over 99.5% relative component density, as well as build rates exceeding 100 cm3/h. Critically, the specially developed 3D printing powders are resistant to hydrogen, which causes embrittlement and fatigue at high pressures and temperatures. 3D printing also reportedly unlocks the capability to produce complex geometries and functional structures impossible with conventional processes like casting and forging.
Is 3D printing more sustainable?
Fraunhofer ILT has conducted LCAs to determine how sustainable 3D printed aerospace parts are compared to those made with conventional production techniques. Here, the team evaluates the entire life cycle of a component, spanning raw material procurement, production, use and recycling.
LCA data reportedly allows researchers to more quickly and efficiently design start-up processes for new products. It also helps them evaluate quality, costs, energy and resource consumption during production. Finally, LCAs provide greater transparency for aerospace production.
According to Fraunhofer ILT’s LCA analysis, while LPBF 3D printing consumes a substantial amount of energy, its environmental footprint is ‘significantly smaller’ than conventional methods.
Notably, it minimizes material waste during production by utilizing only the exact amount of material needed to create a part. The ability to fabricate more lightweight parts can also reduce the fuel consumption of aerospace and aviation components, further lowering the environmental impact across the product lifecycle.
3D printing sustainable space rockets
Fraunhofer ILT’s 3D printing capabilities are reportedly playing a key role in the EU’s ENLIGHTEN (European iNitiative for Low cost, Innovative & Green High Thrust ENgine Project) project.
Launched in 2022, ENLIGHTEN seeks to develop affordable and eco-friendly rocket engines that can be powered by bio-methane and green hydrogen. The goal is to employ these engines to power reusable rockets for the ESA’s Ariane space programme.
Through the project, Fraunhofer ILT’s Additive Manufacturing and Repair LMD group are working to fabricate the rockets using LMD 3D printing. Min-Uh Ko, group leader of Additive Manufacturing and Repair LMD at Fraunhofer ILT, claims that LMD significantly improves the “speed and cost-effectiveness of manufacturing new types of rocket nozzles.”
The team’s 3D printable design features delicate and thin-walled cooling channels that are much more difficult to produce using alternative production methods. Conventional manufacturing would also reportedly create time-consuming and expensive process chains that can take several months to deliver the final part. This is significantly reduced with localized additive manufacturing.
Ultimately, the team hopes to establish a reliable, controlled LMD production process that includes quality assurance to support large-series manufacturing. It will feature an inline system that uses sensors to monitor the entire 3D printing process. They will reportedly detect and rectify process anomalies and guarantee consistent part quality.
“With our results, we can enable the industry, as a supplier to the aerospace industry, to produce equally large, complex and filigree structures on their own systems via LMD in the future,” added Min-Uh Ko.
Additive manufacturing for aerospace applications
The adoption of additive manufatcring for aerospace and space applications continues to accelerate. SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, recently agreed to license metal 3D printers from Velo3D, a metal AM company based in California.
SpaceX has agreed to pay Velo3D $5 million for its additive manufacturing capabilities, building on its previous agreements to supply SpaceX with 3D printers. Additive manufacturing was previously used in the production of SpaceX’s Raptor engines, reportedly playing a vital role in consolidating parts and optimizing its design. Musk has boasted that his company has the “most advanced 3D metal printing technology”.
Elsewhere, South Korean industrial 3D printing solutions provider InssTek partnered with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) to develop a 3-ton multi-material rocket nozzle and a rocket nozzle extension.
Produced using directed energy deposition (DED) 3D printing, the rocket includes an inner section made of Al-Bronze (Cu alloy) and an outer part made from Inconel 625 (Ni alloy). The rocket nozzle extension was 3D printed using C-103, an Nb Alloy. Additive manufatcring was reportedly essential to creating intricate structures and functionalities that unlocked the required efficiency and reliability for the components.
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Featured image shows the successful launch of an Ariane 5 rocket. Photo via Fraunhofer ILT.
