Italian researchers have published research that describes a method to improve the aerospace part validation process. The part qualification method was tested on a 3D printed metal bracket used in satellites. 3D printing metal aerospace parts In such applications, the titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V, is a common material. Recently, BeAM and PWC partnered to qualify an […]
3D Printing News Sliced: TRUMPF, Renishaw, Stratasys, Banksy
From 3D printed buildings to Banksy, and outstanding financial results to industrial metal additive partnerships, today’s Sliced news digest scours all the latest news across the breadth of the manufacturing industry to keep you, our readers, well informed. Companies featured in this edition include: TRUMPF, Renishaw, Altair, GE Aviation, Dassault Systèmes, Formlabs, Stratasys, Xaar 3D, GOM […]
GE Aviation Becomes the Latest to Adopt Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE Platform
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes has been the go-to system of organization for many a business utilizing additive manufacturing, and today the company announced that 3DEXPERIENCE has now been adopted by GE Aviation. GE Aviation, of course, has long been known as the company behind the remarkable 3D printed LEAP fuel nozzle, and has been working with 3D printing for a long time. The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will help the company ensure continuity and collaboration across its business, throughout the entire additive manufacturing cycle from design to production. This will enable quicker time to market, meeting increasing demand.
The platform will help GE Aviation create a digital thread, which will include requirements definition, design, analysis, simulation, manufacturing, qualification and supporting the development of new manufacturing technologies and techniques.
“For GE Aviation Hamble, the implementation of the 3DEXPERIENCE platform supports our ongoing focus on developing innovative aerostructures for the Aerospace industry,” said Paulo Mancilla, Executive Engineering Leader, GE Aviation’s Hamble UK facility. “This enables us to use techniques like digital 3D modelling from design through manufacturing and qualification to create high performance aerostructures for the aviation industry.”
3DEXPERIENCE offers intuitive 3D applications for product design, analysis, manufacturing and data management in a digital environment. It is a single collaborative platform that allows employees of a business to define, share, review, integrate, validate, execute and report, and provides digital continuity from concept to delivery.
“Weight, performance and cost continue to dominate the competitiveness of developing and fabricating sophisticated and complex aerostructures for the latest generation of aircraft,” said David Ziegler, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense Industry, Dassault Systèmes. “As a global leader in this field, GE Aviation is constantly innovating and has recognized how the 3DEXPERIENCE platform provides critical technology for this approach. We are very proud to be their partners in this transformation.”
An increase in collaboration between engineering and supply chain functions will result in reduced cycle times for GE Aviation and its customers. A common user interface offers a unified experience and a shared digital reference that ensures everyone is working on the latest information in relevant context. The platform also offers improved visibility and optimized response times to customer requests, and increased productivity, thanks to the data-centric rationale and intuitive search capabilities.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform has shown itself to be an effective tool in the aerospace industry, having been used by companies such as Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier for more than 20 years. 3D printing is having a major effect on the aerospace industry, and to truly take advantage of all that the technology has to offer, corporations such as these must be able to organize and communicate effectively across facilities and departments to ensure that production runs smoothly. This is what the 3DEXPERIENCE platform offers, and GE Aviation finds itself in good company having adopted the platform for its needs.
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GE Aviation 3D Prints 30,000th Metal 3D Printed Fuel Nozzle at Auburn, Alabama Plant
GE Aviation will always be known for its 3D printed fuel nozzles, which it began producing in 2015. The complex components became something of a symbol for how 3D printing can change manufacturing, and this week GE Aviation hit a milestone – it produced its 30,000th 3D printed fuel nozzle at its Auburn, Alabama plant.
“This milestone isn’t just about reaching production of 30,000 fuel nozzle tips,” said Ricardo Acevedo, plant leader for GE Aviation Auburn. “The team should also be proud for their role in helping prove additive technology works in mass production for our business and others who buy GE technology.”
In 2014, GE announced plans to invest $50 million into its existing 300,000-square-foot Auburn facility, in preparation for taking on more additive manufacturing. The facility now has more than 40 3D printers churning out parts, and 230 employees currently work at the plant, which is continuing to grow. The number of employees is projected to grow to 300 in 2019.
A fuel nozzle is part of any engine that runs liquid fuels. It is responsible for spraying fuel into the engine, and it needs to be strong and capable of withstanding high temperatures, not to mention precise so that it can release the right amount of fuel at the correct rate. It’s a complex component, one that used to be made up of many parts – about 20, in fact, and those parts had to be separately manufactured and then welded together. By using 3D printing, GE Additive was able to produce the entire component, with all of its twisting geometry and interior chambers, in one single part.
Not only did 3D printing save an incredible amount of labor and time, but it also reduced the weight of the fuel nozzle by 25% and made it about five times stronger. Both the 3D printing and aviation industries, understandably, lost their minds a little bit when they learned about what GE Aviation had done. Thousands of orders immediately poured in for GE’s LEAP engine, which was equipped with the 3D printed nozzles, and the component became part of countless presentations as a tangible example of what 3D printing could do.
The LEAP engine is the best-selling engine in the aviation industry, and the 3D printed nozzles saved a remarkable $3 million per aircraft. LEAP engines are known for their fuel efficiency, which is up to 15 percent better than the best CFM56 engines. Total LEAP engine orders are currently at over 16,300. The engines are a product of CFM International, a joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.
“We’re leading the way of mass producing additive parts for the industry,” said Acevedo. “We’re continuously looking at ways of expanding the possibilities for the business.”
And the business will be expanding. Earlier this year, GE Aviation opened a new $200 million factory complex in Huntsville, Alabama that will be America’s first production center for unique materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composites, or CMCs. CMCs are extremely lightweight and can withstand very high temperatures, so they’re a major source of excitement for the aircraft industry right now. GE Aviation might be taking a moment to celebrate its 30,000 fuel nozzle milestone, but it certainly isn’t pausing its work.
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[Source: Made in Alabama/Images: GE Aviation]
GE Aviation celebrates 30,000th 3D printed fuel nozzle
The GE Aviation plant in Auburn, Alabama, this week celebrated the successful shipping of it’s 30,000th 3D printed fuel nozzle tip. Installed within GE’s LEAP jet engine, the nozzle has been made at the facility since 2018 and marks a significant milestone for production-scale additive manufacturing. Ricardo Acevedo, plant leader for GE Aviation Auburn, comments, “This […]
2018 TCT Hall of Fame Inductees and 3D Printing Award Winners Announced
This year’s TCT Show, held in Birmingham as usual, ended earlier this week, and yielded many announcements about new 3D printing materials, software, and of course, 3D printers and their associated hardware. Additionally, the annual TCT Awards was held for the second time during a gala dinner at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole on Wednesday. British actor and presenter Robert Llewellyn hosted the nearly 300 guests at the awards, which celebrates, according to TCT Group owner Rapid News Publications Ltd, “the people, technology and collaborations behind the best in design-to-manufacturing innovation.”
There were 14 competitive award categories, and the TCT Awards recognized the partners in many collaborative projects, in addition to the designers, technology providers, and engineers. Three more 3D printing industry leaders were also inducted into the TCT Hall of Fame in honor of “their contribution to the industry and to the growth in technology adoption.”
“Once again it was a privilege to share an evening with so many truly exceptional people,” said Duncan Wood, Chief Executive of Rapid News. “All of the winners are to be congratulated for their successes, and of course in particular the Hall of Fame inductees need a special mention, their innovation, entrepreneurship and commitment has played a huge part in the development and success of the industry.
“I must also thank our sponsors 3ecruit, as well as our supporting partner, Innovate UK for their endorsement of the event and of course our judges. The TCT Awards night is fast becoming THE night of the year for the industry and we are looking forward to the 2019 edition already!”
The first of the new TCT Hall of Fame inductees is Dr. Carl Deckard, who invented and developed Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) 3D printing technology while based at the University of Texas. Together with his former professor Joe Beaman, Dr. Deckard co-founded DTM Corporation, which was later purchased by 3D Systems, to commercialize SLS 3D printing.
The second 2018 inductee into the TCT Hall of Fame is application specialist and process pioneer Greg Morris. In 1994 he founded Morris Technologies, a specialist AM services provider, which was purchased by GE Aviation in 2012, along with sister company Rapid Quality Manufacturing. His work in developing metal 3D printing applications and processes has increased their adoption in the aerospace and medical sectors, and he distributes his knowledge through his involvement in the speaking circuit.
Professor Emanuel ‘Ely’ Sachs, who invented binder jet printing at MIT in 1989, is this year’s final TCT Hall of Fame Inductee. Professor Sachs, who is on the leadership team of Desktop Metal and still teaches at MIT, actually coined the phrase ‘3D printing’ at that time, and binder jetting technology is a building block for much of the market’s current technology.
As for the rest of the TCT Awards, Project MELT, with its tech lead listed as BEEVERYCREATIVE, won this year’s Aerospace Application Award, while the winner of the Automotive Application Award was the BMW i8 roadster SLM bracket by tech lead SLM Solutions.
Vitamix nozzle at RAPID 2018 [Image: Sarah Saunders for 3DPrint.com]
The Vitamix nozzle by Carbon won the Consumer Product Application Award, while the winner of the Creative Application Award was the Embrace jewelry collection by Cooksongold for Boltenstern. SPEE3D won the Hardware Award – Non Polymers for LightSPEE3D, and the Hardware Award – Polymers went to E3D for its Tool-Changer.
Axial3D won the Healthcare Application Award for the use of its pre-op planning model aids in a world-first surgery at Belfast City Hospital, and Trinckle 3D won the Industrial Product Application Award for its mass customization of copper inductors. The Materials Award – Non Polymer went to SABIC for its EXL AMHI240F 3D printing filament, and NanoSteel took the Materials Award – Polymers for its BLDRmetal L-40 steel 3D printing material.
3D Systems was the winner of the Metrology Award for its Aircraft Damage Assessment for Easyjet, and Steros GPA Innovate S.L. won the Post-Processing Award for its DLyte: Metal DryLyte Electropolishing. Materialise won the Software Award for its e-Stage Metal, and this year’s Rising Star Award was given to HiETA Technologies Ltd.
To learn more about the winning projects and companies, and see the Highly Commended projects, visit the TCT Awards website.
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