The world's largest 3D printed TiAl part produced in a commercial AM system.
Despite the leaps additive manufacturing (AM) has made over the past decade, there is one leap in particular so striking that you cannot attend an AM conference without hearing at least one mention of it, the GE LEAP Fuel Nozzle.
At the recent Additive Manufacturing Users Group conference, Greg Morris, founder of Morris Technologies which was acquired by GE Aviation in 2012 - recounted the story of how a group of GE engineers in 2014 were tasked with the total re-design an a-CT7 engine with a specific focus on performance, weight and cost. The project resulted in the additive manufacturing of 40% of its components. According to Morris, provided the spark that would ignite the GE Additive business.
GE’s acquisition of two major metal AM companies, Concept Laser and Arcam, and subsequent forming of GE Additive was one of the most significant stories to come out of the industry in the last two years. The investment of around $1.5 billion validated the entire metal AM business.
In the 18 months since the acquisitions, the speed of GE Additive's activity in AM has been comparable to the jet engines the LEAP fuel nozzle propels.
At formnext powered by tct 2017, GE Additive introduced the A.T.L.A.S. Project (Additive Technology Large Area System), one of the largest metal AM systems on the market and can be scaled to suit customer's needs. The A.T.L.A.S system takes the reins from Concept Laser’s M Line Factory concept and to facilitate GE's ambitious growth goals; it recently commenced development of a 40,000 square foot facility in Lichtenfels, Germany.
If the development and launch of an entirely new metal AM system in just 177 days didn't prove a dedication to R&D, GE Additive also released details of another new machine, the H1, based on binder jetting technology, which took less than 50 days to develop. We’ve also seen the expansion of GE’s network of Customer Experience Centres and strengthening of software and materials capabilities with the acquisition of GeonX and partnership with GKN.
Hot hardware
The GE Additive Spectra H EBM system.
That initial focus on Concept Laser hardware has left the industry to wonder if and when an Arcam machine would materialise. GE Additive answered those questions emphatically at this year’s RAPID + TCT event in Fort Worth, where the company lifted the curtain on its new Arcam EBM Spectra H system.
The Spectra H is the next generation of Arcam’s A2X electron beam melting (EBM) machine. The ‘H’ stands for ‘hot metal’ and builds on the previous system’s capabilities by focusing on additive production of high heat and crack prone materials such as titanium aluminide (TiAl) at temperatures reaching 1000°C.
“That is literally the benchmark,” Karl Lindblom, General Manager at Arcam EBM told TCT at the launch. “EBM is still the only commercial AM process which is capable of supporting the TiAl production requirements, and there are a number of unique applications where you need these type of high heat metals and that's where our sweet spot is.”
Compared to the A2X, the Spectra features a 39% increase in build volume at 250 x 250 x 430 mm and 50% faster build speeds. This productivity increase is the result of a 6kW HV-unit – double the power of previous systems - which means that all pre- and post-heating steps take half the time compared to current EBM machines. There is also improved layering which reduces need for heating, saving approximately five hours on a full build, and the incorporation of a moveable heat shield to retain heat in the build area.
“Everyone is now asking for faster machines and that’s what we are delivering here, we have increased the build size and build speed,” Lindblom explained. “These things are, of course, extremely important because they are helping users to decrease costs and increase productivity.”
The machine was developed by a small team leveraging feedback from a handful of lead customers and learning from its predecessor. This feedback has resulted in an end-to-end approach which reduces dependency on operators and incorporates automation techniques to improve accuracy with an automated self-dosing sieve and hopper filling station process, simplified machine set-up and closed powder handling to reduce risk of contamination.
Initially, the Arcam EBM Spectra H will support both TiAl and Alloy 718 with additional Ni-super alloys support coming in 2019. GE Additive's materials science team is currently exploring a wide range high heat materials, including; nickel superalloys, tungsten, CoCr, stainless steel and metal matrix composites. In doing so, GE is looking to go beyond aerospace targeting any industry where there is a need for this type of high-heat material including oil and gas and renewables.
The student becomes the master
GE Additive is in a unique position as not only a developer of AM machines but also a long-standing user of the technology. It currently has more than 1,000 projects in progress and an estimated 50,000 AM parts in the field. One of its biggest customers is its own GE Aviation business which has already produced over 23,000 flight-quality additive parts alone but Lindblom believes there is potential to apply this improved EBM technology in other GE verticals such as GE Power.
In an industry where non-disclosure agreements are common and major firms can be precious about revealing their competitive advantages to their competition, GE Additive is doing the opposite. The company is applying its knowledge as an AM customer to help potential users determine if the technology is right for them as part of its AddWorks consulting offering which covers design, materials, part production and qualification.
“It's a service which we are providing to our customers to help them on this AM journey because it is not that easy,” Lindblom commented. “GE has been on this journey for a number of years and gained a lot of experience and that's what we want to share with our customers. I still think there is a lot of missionary work to be done by us.”
Spectra H 3D printed lattice structure on display at RAPID + TCT 2018.
Taking that a step further, the company has also pledged $10 million in investment over five years in educational programs to deliver polymer and metal 3D printers to primary and secondary schools and universities around the world. It is estimated that 180,000 students worldwide now have access to 3D printers because of this education program.
The AM industry as a whole is reporting healthy figures, and the most recent Wohler’s report predicts that the industry will grow to around 27.3 billion USD (approx. 20.3B GBP / Euro 23.2B) by 2023. Just last year alone the industry grew by 21% including an 80% growth in metal systems. With record shipments reported last year for Arcam systems and the GE Additive sales team doubling in size in just four months, GE Additive is certainly following that curve.
In GE’s 2017 financial report, the company claimed it will have a specific AM adoption strategy and goals for each of its businesses by the end of 2018. As 69 Airbus and Boeing planes currently fly with those same LEAP engines that provided the spark for AM just a few years ago and over 12,500 more on pre-order, it feels as though there couldn’t be a better time for GE to be expanding those horizons.
“Well, it’s the best time isn't it?” Lindblom concludes. “I'm coming from the, I would say, conventional industry, and it's very exciting to be part of this fourth industrial revolution. But I also think it's good to have a number of large companies coming into the business, like GE, because I think that will industrialise the whole technology much faster and that's what we need.”
