Rolls-Royce has installed a £2 million robotic laser welding cell at its Hucknall facility, cutting the cycle time for one engine component by more than 80%. The project tackled a bottleneck in manufacturing cold complex structures for jet engines. Traditionally, these parts rely on skilled labour joining cold-formed details through mechanical and non-mechanical methods—a slow, inconsistent process dependent on tacit knowledge. By developing automated welding techniques, the team aimed to produce more consistent components while cutting cost and lead-time. The impact is already tangible. A new laser welding method for the non-acoustic core fairing—a large static structure—reduced cycle time by over 80%. A prototype fixture enabled the manufacture of a Trent XWB 97 component used in on-wing trials of a development engine. Rolls-Royce employed around 15 staff on the industrial research, while the Manufacturing Technology Centre created 10 jobs and safeguarded 5 more. The automated cell will initially target new engine components, but the technology could also be applied to legacy parts, offering significant cost reduction over conventional fabrications and keeping production in-house rather than outsourcing it.
View original technical description
The current manufacturing process for cold complex structures involves joining cold-formed details by both mechanical and non-mechanical methods and is reliant on tacit skills inherent in skilled labour. The main aim of this project was to develop novel technology to enhance the manufacture of fabricated components, to produce consistent competitive products. The project concentrated on advancing the understanding and utilisation of automated welding techniques, using robots to weld Outlet Guide Vane components during assembly and fabrication. The project also focused on developing novel manufacturing technologies to significantly reduce cost, improved lead-time and enable more complex 3D designs for large static structures. Collaboration with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) supported the aim of this project which included design, installation and development of automated welding cells at the MTC. During this project, Rolls-Royce employed around 15 staff focusing on industrial research. At the MTC 10 jobs were created due to the expansion of the team to deliver the project, and a further 5 jobs were safeguarded. The project met the original expectations with a significant level of technology development during this project. A new method for laser welding the non–acoustic core faring was developed, reducing the cycle time by more than 80%. This is a significant step change in technology which not only simplifies the manufacturing of cold fabrications but offers designers an opportunity to maximise the technology though more complex fabrication designs, advancing future engine technology. A novel tooling system and prototype fixture was developed to weld elements of a non-acoustic core fairing. The successful development trials enabled the manufacture of a prototype Trent XWB 97 component which was used on on-wing trials of a development engine. Rolls-Royce has procured a £2m automated laser cell which has now been installed in its Hucknall facility. This cell will initially be targeted at new engine components, however, there is an opportunity to maximise the benefits of the technology by applying it to legacy components. This technology also offers significant cost reduction over conventional fabrications., “Hucknall is now making a product that was probably going to go out onto our sub-contract network or was going to be outsourced. This investment means Rolls-Royce is now not going to do that.” Ian Wilson, Rolls-Royce Trade Union Convenor
Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.
Is something wrong? Let us know