Rolls-Royce plc reported its involvement in a novel defense/manufacturing effort to recycle obsolete fighter aircraft components as powdered metal that is used to 3D-print parts for a new jet engine. The Tornado 2 Tempest gathers material from RAF Tornado jets in the U.K. Ministry of Defence’s surplus assets stockpile, and atomizes it to be used to produce components for the Orpheus small-engine concept.
Tornado components containing high quantities of titanium (e.g., engine compressor blades) were recycled as materials for 3D-printed nose cone and compressor blades.
The Panavia Tornado is a multi-role aircraft in use by defense forces in several countries, but retired by the Royal Air Force in 2019. The Tempest is a proposed, sixth-generation fighter aircraft now in development for the RAF by BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and other defense contractors.
Orpheus is an advanced turbofan engine development program working emphasizing digital design and manufacturing, ultra-low-cost components, and minimized part counts.
Rolls-Royce noted that a nose cone 3D-printed using the recycled titanium alloys was fitted to an Orpheus test engine, and positively evaluated under test conditions to demonstrate the part’s suitability and safety.
In addition to producing and demonstrating the part, the team also demonstrated a “digital product passport” by capturing and recording material provenance and lifecycle data, to improve material data records and security against counterfeiting.
The project was led by the U.K.’s Defence Equipment and Support unit’s Defence Recycling & Disposals Team (DRDT), in partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS) program team, Rolls-Royce, and Additive Manufacturing Solutions Ltd.
Andrew Eady, Rolls-Royce vice president of FCAS Sustainability, stated: “The Tornado 2 Tempest project exemplifies the forward-thinking sustainability principles embedded in the FCAS Sustainability Strategy and MoD Defence Support Strategy.
“At Rolls-Royce, we continue to be leaders in circular economy practices and innovative digital enablers to support our steps to be a lower carbon and digitally enabled business,” Eady added.
