Russian Lab Develops New Titanium Alloy for Use in Aircraft Engines

The Additive Technologies Center of the United Engine Corporation (UEC) has completed laboratory testing of a new domestically produced titanium powder for 3D printing.

The certified material will be used in the future for reliable quality control of measurements during the manufacture of aircraft engine components. It will minimize the risk of defects and discrepancies during product acceptance and simplify the certification process by reducing the time required, UEC said.

The results will allow the alloy to be used as a reference for calibrating industrial 3D printers.

A pilot batch of titanium powder of various fractions, developed by specialists from a major state corporation, underwent certification testing at the Central Measurement Laboratory of the Central Aeronautical Testing Center (CAT). Engineers meticulously examined the particle size distribution, flowability, bulk density, and particle morphology. Up to 60 high-precision measurements were conducted for each test type.

"Partnership with domestic raw material producers guarantees the technological independence of our engine manufacturing. PT-3V titanium alloy powder with a particle size of 20 to 63 microns was created using gas atomization. To obtain objective data, experts used laser particle size analyzers and scanning electron microscopes.

Laboratory analysis confirmed the stability of the alloy's properties. We are currently preparing the final documentation to fully qualify the material for compliance with technical specifications by the end of June," noted Roman Malinin, head of the Central Research Laboratory at the CAT.