Pratt & Whitney, an aircraft engine manufacturer owned by RTX, has completed demonstration testing of a TJ150 expendable engine in which nearly 60% of the engine by volume was produced using additive manufacturing. The company is using the technology to simplify the TJ150 design and support faster production.
Announced at the Farnborough International Airshow, the tested configuration included major static and rotating additively manufactured hardware. The demonstration assessed material behavior under operational conditions and durability against the engine’s mission requirements.
“For expendable engines like the TJ150, where missions can last minutes or hours, simplifying the design and scaling production quickly is essential to meeting rising demand,” said Jill Albertelli, president of Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney.
Albertelli added that Pratt & Whitney is applying lessons from the TJ150 program to other propulsion systems, including its Valox engine family.
Consolidating the TJ150 hot section
Pratt & Whitney has consolidated more than 50 individual hot-section components into a handful of additively manufactured parts.
The company is positioning this component consolidation as part of a broader strategy to improve the TJ150’s long-term producibility and scalability.
Development work leading to the latest test also included the production and successful testing of a 3D printed rotating turbine wheel. Together with the consolidated hot-section components, this work led to the TJ150 configuration used for the completed demonstration.
The inclusion of both static and rotating hardware represents a broader engine-level application of additive manufacturing than testing individual components in isolation.
Pratt & Whitney has not released detailed test results, operating conditions or performance data.
Scaling production of expendable engines
Pratt & Whitney’s approach goes beyond replacing conventionally manufactured parts with printed equivalents. The TJ150 program uses additive manufacturing to consolidate components and simplify the overall engine configuration.
According to the company, this is particularly important for expendable engines with missions lasting minutes or hours, where designs must be simplified and production scaled quickly to meet demand.
Pratt & Whitney has made targeted investments in additive manufacturing to support the TJ150’s long-term producibility and scalability. Knowledge gained through the TJ150 program will also support development of the Valox engine family.
From component testing to engine-level validation
The latest demonstration builds on Pratt & Whitney’s last year’s testing of a 3D printed turbine wheel for the TJ150. During those tests, the rotating component reportedly operated at full engine speeds and temperatures and met its expected service duration.
That earlier development followed a redesign which consolidated more than 50 core-module components into a handful of parts. Pratt & Whitney said the redesigned engine was developed and tested within eight months. The latest test extends that work from an individual rotating component to an engine configuration containing substantial static and rotating additively manufactured hardware.
Other propulsion manufacturers are pursuing a similar production model. Beehive Industries uses additive manufacturing to produce turbine engines for loitering munitions, drones and missile systems, with the aim of shortening production timelines and sourcing more components domestically.
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Feature image shows the TJ150 engine. Image via RTX.
