Lufthansa Technik 3D-Printed a Titanium Latch After OEM Stopped Selling Spares

When the OEM says no, print your own

Lufthansa Technik faced a familiar MRO headache: the roller shutter assembly latch on wide-body Airbus aircraft kept failing, but the original supplier refused to sell the polymer part on its own. The only option was replacing the entire assembly, a costly and slow process that kept aircraft on the ground longer than necessary.

The company's additive manufacturing team already had the certifications and expertise to do something about it. They redesigned the latch in titanium Ti6Al4V and partnered with Materialise to produce the replacement parts under EN 9100-certified metal 3D printing processes.

Why titanium instead of polymer

The original injection-molded polymer latch had complex geometry, but it could not survive the wear and tear of repeated in-service operation. Switching to metal addressed the root cause. The redesigned titanium part is significantly stronger and has a much longer expected service life.

"The original part was an injection-molded polymer component with a complex geometry," said David Rudolz, Project Engineer at Lufthansa Technik. "It was immediately identified as an ideal candidate for metal additive manufacturing."

Repair instead of replacement

The new latch does more than just last longer. Because it is a drop-in replacement for the failed polymer part, maintenance crews can repair the existing roller shutter assembly instead of swapping the whole unit. That targeted approach cuts parts costs and reduces aircraft downtime.

Materialise produced the parts at its Metal Competence Center, which holds EN 9100 certification for metal additive manufacturing. The partnership passed the required audits, and Materialise is now an official Lufthansa Technik workbench for metal parts.

What this means for aerospace MRO

Airlines and MRO providers sit on mountains of obsolete polymer parts that OEMs no longer support. Lufthansa Technik's solution shows how metal 3D printing can convert those dead-end spares into flight-ready metal replacements without waiting for a new supplier or a redesign program.

The titanium latch is already in service. That is the real benchmark for aerospace additive manufacturing: a part that flies, passes certification, and outlasts the original.