Inside the complex manufacturing of jet engine turbine blades

Hidden inside aircraft engines, hundreds of turbine blades withstand temperatures exceeding 1,500C and enormous mechanical stresses. Rather than being cut from material, these hardy components are grown by carefully cooling a molten metal alloy to form a single crystal. Only a handful of companies across five countries have perfected this complex manufacturing process, leading to major investments and acquisitions in the aerospace industry to secure reliable supply chains.