Eaton Aerospace Group turns to GE Additive to evolve its Additive Manufacturing strategy
A bank of GE Additive’s AM machines (Courtesy GE Additive)
Eaton‘s Aerospace Group, Irvine, California, USA, has selected two GE Additive Concept Laser metal Additive Manufacturing machines, as well as AddWorks consultancy services, to direct industrialisation activities as it evolves and executes its long-term Additive Manufacturing strategy. The agreement was announced on the first day of the Farnborough International Airshow, UK, July 16-22, at which GE Additive is presenting the full range of its AM solutions.
One machine will be installed at Eaton’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence at its Innovation Center in Southfield, Michigan, USA, while the second will run at the company’s R&D lab at its Global Innovation Center in Pune, India. Both machines are expected to be installed by August 2018.
In the aerospace industry, Eaton is one of the leading suppliers of products and technologies for hydraulic systems, fuel and inerting systems, motion control and engine solutions. GE Additive’s AddWorks consultants will reportedly consult with Eaton’s teams to advise on industrialisation and part certification processes, material characterisation and production readiness selection strategies.
Nanda Kumar, President, Eaton’s Aerospace Group, stated, “Additive capabilities provide new business opportunities and a strong competitive advantage. In five to ten years, we see a significant portion of our portfolio being manufactured through additive processes because of the investments we are making today. Additive Manufacturing is an exciting technology that offers many advantages. We look forward to leveraging GE Additive’s expertise and experience to accelerate our initiatives in this space.”
“We’re honoured to have been selected by Eaton to join them at this pivotal stage of their additive journey,” commented Jason Oliver, President and CEO, GE Additive. “Our own direct experiences and learnings in mass scale production within the aerospace industry mean that we have an implicit understanding of what they’re trying to achieve.”
Mike York, Director, Additive Manufacturing, Eaton’s Aerospace Group, added, “We were impressed with GE Additive’s consultants’ focus on strengthening our existing Additive Manufacturing programme in a way that will accelerate our deployment.”
