Lufthansa Technik 3D Prints a Titanium Latch for Aircraft MRO

Lufthansa Technik has installed a 3D printed titanium latch inside an aircraft roller coupler, marking a real-world use of additive manufacturing in aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul. The part is made from Ti6Al4V titanium alloy and has been certified under EASA Part 21.G and EN 9100 quality standards.

The latch serves as a functional replacement for a conventionally manufactured component in the roller coupler assembly. Roller couplers guide the transfer of cargo and passenger baggage across the floor of an aircraft, and the latch ensures the assembly stays properly secured during flight. By switching to 3D printing, Lufthansa Technik can produce the part on demand without maintaining a large inventory of spare castings.

Materialise collaborated on the project, providing process engineering and AM certification support. The partnership makes sense: Materialise has spent years building a regulatory framework for 3D printed parts in aviation, and Lufthansa Technik is one of the largest independent MRO providers in the world. Together they proved that a titanium AM part can move from digital file to flight-ready installation under existing aviation rules.

The aviation MRO business has a chronic spare-parts problem. Older aircraft often need replacement components that are no longer in production. The original tooling may be gone, and minimum order quantities from foundries can be uneconomical for a single part. Additive manufacturing offers an escape hatch: produce the part when you need it, in the exact quantity required, with design freedom that can improve weight or performance.

This latch is not a structural load-bearing component, but it is a safety-critical one. Its successful certification shows that regulators are willing to sign off on AM parts even in sensitive aircraft zones, provided the supply chain and process controls are solid. That sets a precedent for other MRO shops looking to expand their additive manufacturing capabilities.

Lufthansa Technik said it will continue evaluating additional 3D printed titanium parts for its maintenance portfolio. If the economics hold, more cabin and cargo hardware could move from traditional forging and casting to powder bed fusion in the coming years.