Turbomeca is now using additive manufacturing (or 3-D printing) at its factory in Bordes, France. After “years of maturation and prototype testing,” the company said, the first two engines to feature 3-D-printed parts are the Arrano and the Ardiden 3.

Arrano test and production engines will feature fuel injection nozzles made with selective laser melting (SLM) techniques. This process will also be used to manufacture Ardiden 3 combustor swirlers.

In the case of SLM, a computer-controlled laser shoots pinpoint beams onto a bed of fine nickel-based super-alloy powder, “to melt the metal in the desired areas,” according to Turbomeca. The resulting build layers are between 20 and 100 micrometers thick.

SLM also simplifies the production process. A traditional nozzle is made from dozens of different pieces, whereas the Arrano component is made from a single piece of material. One SLM fusion laser machine is already in service in Bordes, with others to be integrated over the coming years.