GE Aviation is acquiring five metal additive-manufacturing (AM) systems from GE Additive. The first four Concept Laser M Line systems will be installed at GE Aviation’s Additive Technology Center (ATC) in West Chester, Ohio, during 2022. A fifth M Line system will be installed at Avio Aero’s Turin site in Italy to support serial production of additive components for the GE Catalyst turboprop engine during 2022. Once installed at the GE Aviation ATC, two M Line systems will be dedicated to aluminum alloy. One each of the two other systems will be dedicated to cobalt chrome and nickel alloy 718, adding additional manufacturing capacity to GE Aviation’s additive infrastructure at its development facility.

The systems have a build envelope of 500 mm x 500 mm x 400 mm, which will enable GE Aviation’s progression to the serial production of larger additive parts. The M Line is an industrialized production system that is suited to experienced metal additive users that have started to scale production volumes. Its stitching capability enables customers with large part-size demand to increase productivity and reduce costs.