Oerlikon Balzers to Coat Next-Gen Aero Engine Components

Oerlikon Balzers, a leading surface solutions brand of the Oerlikon Group, has signed a ten-year contract with MTU Aero Engines to apply MTU’s owned erosion-resistant coating ERCoat on aerofoil components of next-generation GTF aero engines used in the Airbus A320neo aircraft. The coating will help to further improve the efficiency of this engine. MTU Aero Engines is partnering with Pratt & Whitney on this engine.

With this long-term agreement, Oerlikon Balzers takes another major step forward in supplying advanced surface technologies and coatings for the aerospace industry. MTU Aero Engines, Germany’s leading aero engine manufacturer, will profit from the industrialization, know-how and expertise of a leading supplier of thin-film physical vapor deposition (PVD) and its equipment portfolio by enabling the delivery of consistent and repeatable product quality in a short period of time.

This long-term partnership between MTU Aero Engines and Oerlikon Balzers signals the intent to work closer together on future surface solutions. The collaboration between the two companies will leverage their respective competencies and further contribute to improving the efficiency of the PW1100G-JM aero engines by providing erosion-resistant coatings for MTU’s high-pressure compressor aerofoils. Oerlikon Balzers’ INNOVENTA giga with arc evaporation technology will ensure high-quality coatings of MTU’s components. It is the largest of the high-tech INNOVENTA coating systems and is an ideal platform for coating large components allowing accommodation of workpieces higher than 1.7 m with a substrate diameter of up to 0.7 m and a loading capacity of up to 3,000 kg.

“Oerlikon Balzers has proven to be a reliable partner for MTU during the initial phase of this coating project. Based on their technical capabilities as well as customer orientation, we are looking forward to establishing a strong and reliable supply chain within Europe and Asia. Additionally, our common goal is to further improve MTU’s owned ERCoat application. We are convinced, Oerlikon Balzers highly motivated team will fulfill this very demanding project during the development and serial production phase to our full satisfaction,” says Holger Auer, Director of Procurement Airfoils, Castings and Indirect Material, MTU Aero Engines.

“This long-term contract is a clear sign of confidence that customers such as MTU Aero Engines have in our technologies. With our first-class, globally highly recognized coating solutions, we are pleased to be able to provide our expertise to improve engine and fuel efficiency, and thereby contribute to sustainability. This agreement underlines our commitment to further provide sustainable innovation as a leading supplier for surface solutions such as PVD, in the aerospace market,” says Dr. Markus Tacke, CEO, Oerlikon Surface Solutions Division.