Sigmar Gabriel impressed by 3D printed parts from Liebherr-Aerospace

On June 1, 2016, Dr. h.c. Willi Liebherr and the Managing Directors from Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg GmbH, Josef Gropper, Heiko Lütjens and Arndt Schoenemann welcomed a special guest at the stand of Liebherr-Aerospace: Sigmar Gabriel, the German Federal Minister for Economy and Energy, who was visiting this year’s Berlin airshow.

From the various exhibits at the stand, the politician was particularly impressed by components that were produced by 3D printing. On show are, for instance, a spoiler valve block and a highly integrated actuator, alongside their conventionally produced, in other words milled and turned versions for comparison. Liebherr-Aerospace considers itself to be a pioneer in 3D printing. Therefore, Dr. h.c. Willi Liebherr took the opportunity to personally explain the advantages of this promising production process to Sigmar Gabriel. Welded layer by layer, they are considerably lighter and more compact, and the development lead times are much shorter.