In the PD-8 engine, the mass of one of the key elements – the oil sump housing – was significantly reduced: it became 40% lighter after switching to additive manufacturing. The development was carried out by the United Engine Corporation, completely redesigning the part for 3D printing and changing the approach to its design.
Engineers abandoned a set of separate parts and created a monolithic structure of complex shape with internal channels. This transition not only reduced weight but also sharply cut down the volume of subsequent machining – by approximately 80%. This simplified the production cycle and reduced the number of technological operations.
According to Alexey Mazalov, head of ODK's additive technologies center, integrating elements into a single part reduces the number of connections, and therefore reduces the likelihood of failures. He noted that reducing the mass of components directly affects engine efficiency and potentially increases the aircraft's payload. He also emphasized that additive technologies accelerate development and make production less costly.
The company reports that "grown" parts are already being used in serial PD-8 engines. In total, about 220 elements were created using 3D printing at the design stage, but after testing, only a part of the most critical solutions entered the serial design.