GE Additive & General Atomics look to integrate metal AM in remotely piloted aircraft
The Predator XP is one of the Remotely Piloted Aircraft produced by GA-ASI (Courtesy General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc.)
GE Additive has been selected to provide its AddWorksTM consultancy services to General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), a manufacturer of Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) systems, radars, electro-optic and related mission systems headquartered in Poway, California, USA. AddWorks will work closely with GA-ASI to accelerate and strengthen the qualification and implementation of metal Additive Manufacturing within its products and processes.
GE Additive’s AddWorks is a global team of more than two-hundred engineering and manufacturing specialists which aims to help organisations shorten the learning curve for introducing AM into their businesses by providing advice on on industrialisation, part certification, materials characterisation and production readiness strategies.
Jason Oliver, President & CEO, GE Additive, stated, “This is a great fit for us, because GE has already been through a similar journey. We get where GA-ASI is at and where it wants to go. By offering our learnings and in-depth knowledge of the aerospace and defence industry, we will be able to assist them in leveraging metal additive with our methodical, systematic approach, that meets the exacting requirements of the sector and their aggressive goal to grow the impact of additive within their application space.”
“Some of our AddWorks consultants are responsible for designing and then industrialising many of the additively manufactured aerospace parts that are in service today,” he continued. “So, they are very well-placed to accompany GA-ASI in accelerating their additive journey. We’re honoured to secure this engagement and look forward to helping them drive successful outcomes and their competitive advantage.”
