Avio Aero
GE Arcam Avio
Arcam machines at the Avio Aero additive manufacturing factory in Cameri, Italy.
GE Aviation has invested in 17 additional Arcam EBM A2X systems and 10 Spectra H platforms, GE Additive has announced at Paris Air Show.
The new machines will be installed across the facilities of GE Aviation and Avio Aero, an Italian aerospace company GE acquired in 2013, in the United States and Europe.
This new Electron Beam Melting capacity will be put to work within the manufacturing workflows of the GE9X engine, being used primarily for the production of titanium aluminide (TiAI) blades on the engine’s low-pressure turbine. The GE9X engine is being developed for Boeing’s 777X wide-body jet, with the additively manufactured TiAI blades weighing in at around half the weight of traditional nickel-alloy blades. This results in a fuel consumption reduction of 10% compared to its predecessor, the GE90 engine. The respective build capacities on the EBM platforms means GE Aviation will also be able to additively manufacture six blades per batch with the A2X machines and ten per batch on the Spectra H systems.
“Having a robust and reliable additive technology infrastructure in place is a critical component of the GE9X programme,” commented Eric Gatlin, General Manager, Additive Integrated Product Team, GE Aviation. “Avio Aero’s Cameri site has been a great testing ground to see the Arcam EBM machines in action and how they scale. We’re looking forward to continuing the expansion in Cameri and rolling them out to a US location in the coming months.”
“GE Aviation has doubled its fleet of Arcam EBM machines in a relatively short period,” added Karl Lindblom, General Manager, GE Additive Arcam EBM. “We’re thrilled and it’s a great endorsement for our team, for EBM and in particular for the Spectra H.”
FusiA Aeroadditive invests in DMLM technology
GE Additive has also announced Toulouse-based tier one supplier, FusiA Aeroadditive will invest in GE Additive's Concept Laser M2 cusing Multilaser system.
FusiA Aeroadditive has been using metal additive manufacturing technology for eight years and is ISO 9001 and AS/EN/JISQ 9001-certified. Its customers include Airbus, Bombardier and Safran.
"As our business scales we have made the strategic decision to transition over to GE Additive technology and invest first of all in a Concept Laser M2 platform," commented Cyrille Chanal, CEO of FusiA Groupe. "Through its own additive journey, GE Additive brings deep experience of the specific needs of the highly-regulated aerospace industry and therefore the demands of our customers for reliable and repeatable technology."
Earlier this week, GE Additive also confirmed sales of four Concept Laser platforms to TEI, a Turkish Aerospace Industries company.
