Doncasters Forges Ahead With New RR Trent 1000 Contract
20 June 2005
The Doncasters Group Ltd, a leading global manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for the aerospace industry, is to manufacture ring rolled forgings to meet initial programme order requirements for the turbine section of the Rolls-Royce (RR) Trent 1000 engine.
The RR Trent 1000 engine will be used for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Doncasters will manufacture the large profile ring rolled forgings at its Blaenavon facility for the high pressure / intermediate pressure (HP / IP) case using a complex nickel-based alloy. This material has been selected due to its tolerance of the high temperatures within the turbine. The first development forgings are scheduled to be delivered during August 2005.
Eric J. Lewis, CEO of The Doncasters Group, comments: “Securing this order builds on our existing involvement in the RR Trent 1000 engine and is a further example of our position as a trusted supplier in all of the current major aero-engine programmes. Doncasters has significant expertise in working with alloys that are difficult to shape and form, which enables our engineers to provide innovative solutions using sophisticated, high performance materials.”
Doncasters has already entered into an alliance with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to produce precision castings for the Trent 1000 engine. The company is also manufacturing turbo-machinery for Hamilton Sundstrand for the Boeing 787 auxiliary power unit, the APS5000.
Development testing on the Trent 1000 will start in Spring 2006, followed by engine certification by the airworthiness authorities in 2007. The Trent 1000 will enter service in 2008.
