First Delivery of Compressor Casing for Engines Powering A380

	Copyright Rolls-Royce

 Kawasaki completed delivery of the first intermediate-pressure compressor casing for the Trent 900 engine that powers the Airbus A380 aircraft, to Rolls-Royce plc of the U.K. in October 2003. The two companies signed an agreement in June 2003 that Kawasaki would be the exclusive supplier of this casing to Rolls-Royce. Kawasaki is the first manufacturer in Japan to produce compressor casing for the large turbofan engines of commercial aircraft.

 The casing, which is made of titanium alloy, is very intricate, with a thin wall of over one meter diameter. Due to the design, it requires state-of-the-art production capabilities and uses a five-axis machining center that can mill a component three-dimensionally. Other advanced technologies that Kawasaki has established in aircraft engine production are also deployed in the production process, such as thermal spray abradable coating and anti-corrosion coating.

 The Airbus A380 is a large twin-deck super jumbo aircraft with a capacity of 480 to 650 passengers. The aircraft is now under development and is scheduled to enter service in 2006. Type certification of the Trent 900 engine is currently planned in October 2004 at the 81,000lb thrust level. Rolls-Royce has already received more than 170 firm orders for the engine.