When fully operational in 2017, the 150,000 sq ft (14,000 sq m) facility in Rotherham will employ 150 people and have the capacity to manufacture more than 100,000 single crystal turbine blades a year. These blades will feature in aero engines including the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, which powers the Airbus A350 XWB.
Hancock said: "This new facility will house the most advanced blade casting facility in the world and is a truly remarkable feat of engineering. When fully operational, it will create 150 high skilled jobs and support the local economy.
"Our aerospace growth partnership has put in place a long-term industrial strategy for the whole aerospace industry and this investment by Rolls-Royce in new technology and modern manufacturing processes is testament to the ongoing strength of this sector. Continuing to back leading companies like Rolls-Royce, and supporting the UK's manufacturing sector is part of the government's long term economic plan."
Gareth Davies, Rolls-Royce executive vice president, turbines, added: "Rolls-Royce is committed to investing in innovative technology and world-class facilities to help us deliver our record £73.7 billion order book. This facility will use ground-breaking manufacturing techniques to produce single crystal turbine blades for our Trent engines including the world's most efficient aero civil engine, the Trent XWB."
The ABCF will have automated manufacturing techniques including integrated wax fabrication lines, 3D structured light inspection, which measures the entire surface of components and computed tomography, which has the ability to measure deep into the blade's internal structure.
These techniques have helped reduce the time it takes to manufacture a turbine blade by 50% while producing a step-change in component performance. This facility makes use of manufacturing methods developed within Rolls-Royce and at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Ansty, near Coventry. Some of the £15m investment by the UK Government was used by Rolls-Royce to develop these techniques.
