GE Aviation has purchased 17 Arcam A2X systems and 10 Arcam Spectra H systems, which use electron beam melting (EBM) technology to 3D print parts.
Avio Aero, a GE Aviation company, currently operates 35 Arcam machines at its recently expanded site in Cameri, Italy. The additional EBM systems will be installed at GE Aviation and Avio Aero facilities in the US and Europe and will be used mainly to produce titanium aluminide (TiAl) blades for the GE9X engine turbine.
According to the company, additively manufactured (AM) TiAl blades are roughly half the weight of traditional nickel-alloy turbine blades. GE Additive Arcam EBM A2X machines produce six blades per batch, while the Spectra H system can produce up to ten blades, in around the same time. For the GE9X engine the weight saving from the TiAl LPT blades contributes to a fuel consumption reduction of 10% (and therefore emissions) compared to its predecessor, the GE90.
This story uses material from GE Aviation, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
