Developed by engineers at the Italian aerospace company Avio and Sweden's Arcam. Explore a timeline of GE technologies that have spurred transformation across the world. This isn’t the first time that large 3D-printed objects have been used in engines. In 2015 GE Aviation opened its Additive Technology Center near its headquarters in Cincinnati, where engineers from GE Aviation and GE Additive conceive, design and manufacture 3D-printed components for jets and other products, and also improve on 3D printers. Derived from the General Electric GE90 with a larger fan, … Learn how we’re delivering on our priorities. For instance, GE engineers are also 3D-printing sleek turbine blades for the GE9X, the world’s largest jet engine, which took its maiden flight in March. Of the seven components and 304 parts being additively manufactured for the GE9X, all except the LPT blades and the heat exchanger are cobalt chromium alloy parts. The Arcam machines use an electron gun to accelerate the beam until it’s several times more powerful than lasers currently used for printing … Access important shareholder information. The printers were built by Arcam, a company GE acquired in 2016 and folded inside its GE Additive business. We’re deeply proud of GE employees around the world rising to the challenge. Read the results of the 2020 GE Global Innovation Barometer, titled “Pride and Protectionism: A Quest for Innovation Agency.”. GE Additive’s Arcam EBM A2X machines are capable of producing six blades per batch, while the Spectra H system can produce up to ten blades in around the same time. A series of innovative designs, however, means that despite its physical size, the GE9X improves fuel efficiency by 10% over the GE90 engine, which powers most current 777 planes. We build intelligent devices, data analytics, applications and services to enable healthcare practitioners to deliver care more efficiently and with better outcomes. The 3D-printed blades spin inside the engine at 2,500 times per minute and face searing heat and titanic forces. Explore the latest stories, news, downloads, and press tools. “We’re doing whole rows in-house in one hit,” Passmore says. The turbine was — and still is — the world’s most reliable and efficient gas turbine in its class. But this cooling air has a cost — the energy used to compress this air drastically reduces the turbine’s efficiency. Explore the latest stories, news, downloads, and press tools. A culture of integrity, compliance, safety, and respect for human rights, while reducing our environmental footprint. In 2017, the company used 3D printing to develop and test functional prototypes of gas turbine blades – small parts assembled around the periphery of a turbine rotor to guide the gas flow. GE engineers had again squeezed new efficiencies and record reliability out of the overachieving machine known in the power industry as the GT13E2. We’re continuing to do all we can to support our customers and employees during this unprecedented time. GE’s Cameri operations are indicative of the advances taking place in manufacturing today. A team from GE Power's Advanced Manufacturing Works is now 3D printing high-tech parts in Switzerland that take the turbine's performance even higher. Explore a timeline of GE technologies that have spurred transformation across the world. Creating the energy technologies of the future and improving the power networks that we depend on today. To meet rising demand, GE recently expanded Cameri’s manufacturing space by 6,500 square feet to … GE's dedicated team, leading technology, and global reach and capabilities help the world work more efficiently, reliably, and safely. — David Joyce, president and CEO, GE Aviation 1. Learn how we’re delivering on our priorities. Discover how our people & technology are solving global issues, improving lives, and changing industries. But it turns out that the engineers were only getting started. GE hopes to 3D print the base of a turbine wherever they want to place it, so that they won’t need to haul around such a gigantic hunk of concrete or steel. The alloy also tended to come out brittle. We’re continuing to do all we can to support our customers and employees during this unprecedented time. GE estimates that this new upgrade, the company calls it "MXL2 with Additively Manufactured Performance (AMP)," can help power producers save up to $2 million in fuel annually. GE's dedicated team, leading technology, and global reach and capabilities help the world work more efficiently, reliably, and safely. By embracing diverse teams and perspectives, we are better equipped to build a world that works. It’s a startling contrast, then, that less than a mile from the center of this village sits a major hub of aerospace innovation, anchored by one of largest 3D-printing factories in the world. 3D printing was seen as a very attractive option for large products such as wind turbine blades, which are very labor intensive, primarily done by hand labor of depositing large amounts of composite material, making the molds themselves quite costly and timely to make. A 30% reduction in the weight of each of the GE9X turbine blades is contributing to a 10% increase in fuel efficiency compared with the GE90 engine that came before it, while the GE Additive team is keen to point out these critical and moving … GT13E2. Cast heat shields survive in the engine by being fed lots of pressurized cooling air. For instance, GE engineers are also 3D-printing sleek turbine blades for the GE9X, the world’s largest jet engine, which took its maiden flight in March. GE Considers 3D Printing Turbine Blades for Next Generation Boeing 777X’s GE9X Engines . According to GE, 3D … At Cameri, though, it’s a quiet, controlled process that takes place inside humming, refrigerator-sized 3D printers that stand in neat rows inside a cavernous hall the size of a warehouse. Such uses vindicate the technology, Passmore says. According to GE Aviation, the GEnx is the fastest-selling, high-thrust jet engine within the company’s history, with over 1,600 engines on order. The GE9X engine will be in the 100,000 lb. Low pressure turbine (LTP) blades 3D-printed from titanium aluminide (TiAl) for the GE9X engine. Offering a suite of products to help unlock the full potential of additive manufacturing. Get ready to be blown away by these cool wind-powered prints! Read the latest GE financial news releases and stories. Tune in or catch up on GE’s latest investor events and reports. thrust class. Learn about governance at GE, including the latest Proxy Statement and information about the GE Board of Directors. Engineers can print several parts simultaneously — up to 20 at a time — rather than casting them one by one. “We can also count on greater mechanical and electronic stability, and we can even consider new geometries.”. We connect capital to infrastructure and deliver innovative financial solutions that help make the world work better. The Blade Runners: This Factory Is 3D Printing Turbine Parts For The World's Largest Jet Engine March 20, 2018 GE Additive launches Orthopaedic Validation Consultancy at … are introducing custom 3D-printed glasses [1]. The goal is to help organizations adopt additive manufacturing technology faster by offering the ability to take parts from an idea to production. It also opens up the potential for additional revenue of up to $3 million per year. is the first time anyone has used a 3D-printed, full-size part directly in a gas turbine upgrade. GE will design the wind turbines, COBOD will build the 3D printer, and LafargeHolcim will make a proprietary blend of concrete for the job. Now, he describes how the application of metal 3D printing to existing turbine blades has proceeded even further under GE. Read the latest GE financial news releases and stories. Making blades for an engine turbine typically involves casting them from red-hot alloys or pounding them out on massive forging machines. I included these supports in the parts as … Commercializing GE’s technology and IP to accelerate growth and achieve market differentiation. We’re deeply proud of GE employees around the world rising to the challenge. 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