Aurora Labs Limited (A3D) has announced the continued development of a 200N Class gas turbine. A metal 3D printed micro gas turbine is a combustion engine that sits at the heart of a small propulsion system or power plant and converts natural gas or other liquid fuels into mechanical energy for use in applications such as unmanned aerial vehicles or instant power generation.
The current model will be available on the market as early as next month, with capabilities for lightweight propulsion systems in a variety of markets. Parallel development of a 400N Class model is underway.
Metal 3D printed micro gas turbine
In less than four months, the team created a cutting-edge product. The turbine engine design and printing have successfully met laboratory prototype testing benchmarks, putting it at the forefront of high-energy 3D metal component printing. Testing will now move to the field, where the engine will be mounted on a remotely piloted airframe.
“3D metal printing has worked to its strength in accelerating the product prototyping process of A3D’s sovereign turbine engine.”
– Rebekah Letheby, CEO, Aurora Labs
Turbine Development
In developing its 200N Class turbine engine prototype, A3D is meeting market benchmarks. We met thrust, air intake efficiency, engine weight, and fuel consumption constraints, but we can improve them with 3D-printable generative design changes.
The engine performs and compares to traditional engines. The A3D engine has fewer complex parts, making assembly fast and reliable without sacrificing performance. A3D has the 3D printing machines and expertise to produce engines in Australia.
Letheby added, “A3D tests turbine efficiency and weight. In our turbine model, we select lightweight parts through design and metal materials that ensure efficient material performance and reduce mass. A lighter engine improves aircraft fuel efficiency. Design team also ensures A3D turbine parts are combined and printed as one assembly. While this is not possible for all parts, reducing the number of parts has optimised engine assembly time and ease. We combined 18 parts into one printed part in one engine section, reducing weight by 20% compared to traditional engines.”
Metal 3D-printed parts have the necessary mechanical strength. Testing has shown that printed interior components can withstand the stress and high temperature of engine firing with the required metallurgy. The printed material is comparable to conventional metal materials, ensuring that A3D printing produces reliable and repeatable metal products.
Since the turbine runs on Jet-A1, kerosene, and diesel, fuel type is also important. This lets the user use the turbine in many environments where certain fuels are scarce.
What Next?
A3D has actively demonstrated the latest version of its printed gas turbine engine. Data from the current testing round will be made available to several prospective customers who require gas turbine systems for a variety of applications, such as unmanned aerial vehicle propulsion or instant power generation.
A3D’s design and prototyping services, as well as its gas turbine engine, have impressed customers during testing. In addition to testing the 200N Class model, the company is accelerating the design and build of the larger 400N Class gas turbine model, which will expand market opportunities for large-scale applications in the unmanned aerial vehicle sector where small turbines can be used as propulsion systems.
Printed 3D metal parts and the use of additive manufacturing in the defence and aerospace industries will continue to be promoted to both large and small businesses looking for innovative solutions from additive manufacturing, particularly with targeted geometries that excel at 3D metal printing.
In the meantime, the company continues to work on delivering the first AL250 printer.
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