MMTech : efficient manufacturing for lighter aircraft components.
Date: 2018-05-27
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation
Subjects: advanced materials, aircraft, applied research, energy consumption, innovation, new technology, product design, reduction of gas emissions, research expenditure (EU)

Efficient manufacturing for lighter aircraft components 

MMTECH 

EU-funded researchers are developing novel manufacturing techniques to cut the time and cost involved in 
producing lightweight, strong and durable components for aircraft, supporting efforts to reduce the 
environmental impact of aviation. 

         © Gudellaphoto, #64221419, 2018. Source: fotolia.com 

Aviation  is  one  of  the  fastest-growing  sources  of  greenhouse  gas  emissions.  The  industry  has  a  significant 
impact  on  the  environment,  with  direct  emissions  from  aviation  accounting  for  about  3%  of  the  EU’s  total 
greenhouse  gas  emissions  and  more than  2%  of  global  emissions.  One  possible  solution is  to develop lighter 
materials for component parts, leading to reduced fuel consumption and CO2 production. 

Bringing  together  leading  research  institutions  and  industrial  partners,  the  MMTech  project  is  focusing  on 
enabling  more  efficient  production  of  aircraft  components  made  from  one  particularly  promising  lightweight 
metal  alloy:  gamma  titanium  aluminides  (γ-TiA).  These  alloys  have  long  been  recognised  by  the  aerospace 
industry  as  promising  materials  due  to  their  low  density,  light  weight  and  high  strength  at  elevated 
temperatures. But manufacturing components from γ-TiAl alloys poses significant challenges. 

“Gamma titanium aluminides are used in industry today, but there is not much take-up because they are very 
hard to work with and brittle at room temperature, making them an expensive choice,” says MMTech coordinator 
Rosemary  Gault  from  the  University  of  Sheffield  in  the  UK.  “The  aim  of  MMTech  is  to  lower  the  cost  of 
manufacturing with γ-TiAl, both by reducing the amount of raw material used and by reducing the number of 
parts that are scrapped due to production flaws.” 

A more attractive option 

Achieving that goal could have a big impact on future aircraft, particularly components such as engine turbine 
blades and other parts exposed to high temperatures. Components made of γ-TiAl weigh about half as much as 
parts made from nickel-based alloys, while maintaining high specific stiffness and strength. 

To increase the appeal of γ-TiAl for manufacturing aircraft components, the MMTech partners are applying novel 
technologies  and  techniques  across  the  entire  manufacturing  chain.  Members  of  the  project  consortium  are 

 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
            
 
implementing rapid near-net deposition processes to produce components that are close to the desired size and 
shape,  requiring  a  minimal  amount  of  finishing.  This  approach  reduces  material  waste  but  requires  careful 
selection of raw materials.  

To address the issue, the partners are developing high-energy ball-milled powders as the raw intermetallic input 
material.  These  powders  are  not  only  cheaper  than  other  raw  forms  of  γ-TiAl,  but  their  production  is  being 
standardised  within  the  project  to  eliminate  variations  between  batches  that  can  require  manufacturing 
machines to be recalibrated at additional cost. 

Innovation in industry 

“If  we  can  make  gamma  titanium  aluminides  an  attractive  option  for  aerospace  components,  it  will  give 
companies  a  competitive advantage  as  parts  will  be  lighter,  with  good  performance  at  high  temperatures.  As 
gamma titanium is lighter, plane weight would be reduced and fuel and CO2 savings would be achieved,” Gault 
says. 

The novel manufacturing processes are being supported by other innovations to reduce the risk of damage to 
the  produced  components,  including  using  lasers  to  mitigate  cracking  and  applying  self-adaptive  control 
algorithms for machining.The MMTech academic partners have developed simulation tools to model the entire 
manufacturing  process,  enabling  virtual  testing  of  the  various  stages  of  production  to  optimise  different 
manufacturing strategies. 

Several of the Italian industrial partners involved in MMTech are now planning to apply the innovations in their 
production lines: MBN Nanomaterialia will commercialise the new powders for use on a range of manufacturing 
machines, while PRIMA will begin marketing new machine components and FIDIA plans to offer a machine tool 
that  has  been  optimised  for  machining  γ-TiAl  materials.  “The  project  results  will  drive  future  research  and 
consultancy projects with industry, creating opportunities for wider adoption of γ-TiAl in manufacturing for the 
aviation sector,” Gault says. 

Project details 

Project full name: New aerospace advanced cost effective materials and rapid manufacturing technologies 

Participants: The United Kingdom (Coordinator), France, Spain, Italy, 

Project Reference N° 633776 

Total cost: € 5 708 000 

   EU contribution: € 5 708 000 

Duration: May 2015 to April 2019 

Project web site: https://www.mmtech-nology.com/ 

ISBN 978-92-79-81495-2 

DOI 10.2777/587415 

 KI-04-18-295-EN-N