GE Turns to 3D Printers for Plane Parts
Usually the nozzles are assembled from 20 different parts. Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing can create the units in one metal piece, through a successive layering of materials. The process is more efficient and can be used to create designs that can’t be made using traditional techniques, GE says. The finished product is stronger and lighter than those made on the assembly line and can withstand the extreme temperatures (up to 2,400F) inside an engine. There’s just one problem: Today’s industrial 3D printers don’t have enough capacity to handle GE’s production needs, which require faster, higher-quality output at a lower cost.
“With today’s technology, it would take too many machines,” as many as 60 to 70, to efficiently make the nozzles, says Greg Morris, business development leader for additive manufacturing at GE Aviation. Morris joined the aerospace company last year, as part of GE’s acquisition of his 3D company, Morris Technologies.