Manufacturing strategies for a jet engine afterburner fuel manifold

Larsen Motorsports is a local motorsports shop in Palm Bay, Florida that specializes in attaching jet engines to dragster-style race cars. The General Electric J85 turbojet engine is utilized with an afterburner attachment. Inside of the afterburner is a fuel manifold that injects fuel into the afterburner. This piece is currently built in-house at great difficulty. Through an investigation into alternative manufacturing strategies, it was shown that there was no improvement in manufacturing costs despite showing some improvements in processing time. CNC machining exhibited a 432% increase in cost per fuel manifold and an 81% reduction in process time. 3D printing exhibited a 331% increase in cost per fuel manifold but was inconclusive in showing process time reductions. Purchasing EDM machinery exhibited a 55,874% increase in cost per fuel manifold and a 92% reduction in process time. Ultimately, it was recommended that Larsen Motorsports should continue to use their process due to the significant lack of cost savings otherwise. Secondarily, it was recommended to invest in EDM machinery for the considerable benefit of ease of manufacturing in-house and reduction in processing time despite high upfront costs.