From turbines to landing gear, Oerlikon technologies help make aircraft safer, more efficient and more economical. Our coatings, superalloy components and 3D printed parts protect metal alloys against extreme heat and loads, supporting the next generation of sustainable aviation.
Wherever an aircraft takes off, Oerlikon is almost always on board. Modern engines and structures face extreme temperatures, heavy loads and constant wear. To meet these demands, all major aircraft manufacturers rely on Oerlikon technologies that improve performance, safety and fuel consumption.
In the hottest zones of an engine, temperatures exceed 1 200 °C. Higher temperatures improve fuel burn and reduce emissions, but push materials to their limits. Oerlikon’s thermal-barrier coatings protect turbine blades, combustors and other components against oxidation, corrosion and premature wear. They also increase safety and extend maintenance intervals, making aircraft operation more economical.
Thermal barrier coatings protect the engines of an aircraft.
Abradable coatings add another boost in efficiency by allowing rotating and stationary parts to run extremely close together without damage, sealing the gas path and reducing fuel consumption. Advanced Physical Vapour Deposition (PVD) and thermal spray alternatives also help replace hard chrome plating in landing gear, structural airframe parts and interior components, increasing safety and helping manufacturers meet stricter regulations.
In addition to coatings, Oerlikon produces precision components made from heat‑ and corrosion‑resistant superalloys. Honeycomb structures, fan blades, stator vanes, shrouds, rotor seals and compressor parts help optimize gas flow and increase engine reliability, service life and overall performance.
BALDIA COMPOSITE, which is many times harder than steel, keeps tools sharp longer and ensures consistent quality.
As aircraft components become more lightweight, the use of harder-to-machine materials like carbon-fiber-reinforced composites and highly alloyed metals increases. Oerlikon’s diamond‑based BALDIA COMPOSITE coating, many times harder than steel, keeps tools sharp longer and ensures consistent quality – especially important when it comes to complex geometries.
Additive manufacturing (AM), the industrial form of 3D printing, is now firmly established in aerospace. This reduces fuel consumption, improves efficiency and opens new possibilities for future aircraft designs.
A global network of Nadcap-accredited coating and manufacturing centers ensures certified processes and reliable capacities worldwide. Many Oerlikon solutions developed for aircraft engines are also used in energy‑intensive industries such as gas and steam turbines, power plant boilers and even hydro and wind power.
