3D printing laser sintered aircraft parts

Now you can be sure how important 3D printing is to some companies that are adopting 'additive manufacturing technology. On November 20th, GE Aviation bought a private company called Morris Technologies). This is a precision engineering company that employs only 130 employees in the suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. Morris has invested heavily in 3D printing laser equipment in the past, and is about to print some small things for aircraft engines. 　　 Morris uses a lot of 3D printers, their working principle is to use numbers to describe the printed object, and use physical media to manufacture layer by layer. A 3D printing technology used by Morris company is laser sintering. It is a thin layer of metal The layer is applied to the construction platform and then melted with a laser. This step is repeated until the thing to be manufactured is shaped. Laser sintering can be used to produce various metal parts, including some made of aviation-grade titanium. Printed parts One advantage is that it saves raw materials. In the past, manufacturing components needed to come from fixed metal blanks, which meant that a lot of materials would be wasted. In addition, printed components could be lighter than forged components and save fuel.　　 In the past, many manufacturers have used 3D printing technology to make prototypes of parts, because 3D printing is cheaper and more flexible than assembling a large number of equipment and tools to make one or two objects. And this technology is now enough. Okay, it can be officially used for parts manufacturing. 　　 Morris's parts to be printed, some will be used in LEAP aircraft engines, which are developed by CFM International. CFM is a joint venture between GE Aviation and Snecma in France The LEAP engine will be used in some short-haul aircraft in the next few years and has now received more than 4,000 orders. 　　 GE did not disclose how much it spent to buy Morris Technology and its sister company. GE sees this acquisition as It is an investment in new manufacturing technology. 'Whether we have the ability to handle new materials and complex designs in process manufacturing development is critical to our future. Said the general manager of a supplier of GE Aviation. Some people believe that 'additive manufacturing will subvert the current manufacturing economics, because its focus is not on unit labor costs, nor on traditional economies of scale. Manufacturers can quickly switch designs, so that more flexible manufacturing, Mass customization can take place. 　　 GE's transaction is a favorable evidence for those who believe that 'product innovation will be increasingly driven by' manufacturing innovation. Whether production and Ru0026D can be closely integrated and communicated will become even more important. important.