Editor’s Note
This article details a significant milestone in sustainable aerospace manufacturing. The successful flight test of a structural component made from recycled titanium via 3D printing marks a crucial step toward qualifying such parts for real-world operations, promising both environmental and supply chain benefits for the industry.
In collaboration with Additive Manufacturing Solutions (AMS Ltd), QinetiQ has conducted a flight test where a structural flight component made from recycled titanium processed through 3D printing was used in an aircraft for the first time. This test was carried out with QinetiQ’s Flight Test Organisation at Boscombe Down military airfield in Wiltshire and aims to qualify additively manufactured metal parts under real operational conditions.
The part flown was a hinge for an air data boom. The measuring boom was fitted on a QinetiQ-owned A109S helicopter, which is used as a development platform for the Empire Test Pilots’ School. QinetiQ designed this hinge and integrated it into the assembly, while AMS handled the manufacturing. The raw material was titanium recovered from a retired aircraft.
The upstream powder production process is particularly interesting from a technical perspective: AMS converts scrap metal into powder using its own recycling process, which, according to the company, meets the quality requirements for metal 3D printing. This process is said to retain 97 percent of the material, reducing waste for an expensive and sometimes difficult-to-obtain material. Additionally, AMS estimates CO2e emissions are 93.5 percent lower compared to traditional supply chains.
Titanium is widely used in defense and aerospace applications because it combines high strength, low weight, and corrosion resistance. At the same time, aerospace titanium relies heavily on imports, with China and Russia named as key suppliers.
If the process chain from waste to powder and then to qualified components can be reliably replicated, it would not only reduce costs and emissions but also make it easier to plan the availability of critical materials.