Safran Aircraft Engines has opened a turbine blade research centre at its Gennevilliers site near Paris.
The manufacturer says that the facility is capable of carrying out "all development work necessary for next-generation very-high-performance turbine blades" for military and commercial engines on fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
Around 30 engineers and other experts will concentrate on multi-disciplinary design, single-crystal casting, 3D-printed ceramic blade cores, thermal coatings, cooling circuits, digitised processes, self-adapting micro-drilling, and non-destructive testing based on artificial intelligence, Safran says.
One project is to develop enhanced blades for the Snecma M88 engines that power Dassault Rafale fighters to "improve aircraft dispatch reliability", Safran says.
The centre will also work on blades for the engine that will power France and Germany's planned joint Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will be jointly developed by Safran and MTU Aero Engines.
Safran used the new facility to host a 7 February signing ceremony covering the FCAS partnership with MTU, in the presence of French defence minister Florence Parly and her German counterpart, Ursula von der Leyen
The Gennevilliers site specialises in forging, casting and machining services for turbine and compressor blades and other rotating engine parts.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
