GE Aviation plans $50 million Additive Manufacturing expansion at Auburn plant
March 21, 2019
GE Aviation will produce metal additively manufactured brackets for its new GEnx-2B in Auburn (Courtesy GE Aviation)
GE Aviation is reported to be planning a $50 million expansion to the Additive Manufacturing capabilities of its facility in Auburn, Alabama, USA. The increased AM capacity will allow the facility to launch high-volume production of a new jet engine component; the metal additively manufactured bracket for GE Aviation’s GEnx-2B engine programme.
“We’re very excited for this new investment in our Additive Manufacturing operation here in Auburn,” stated Ricardo Acevedo, GE Aviation’s Auburn Plant Leader. “Our success thus far is a testament to all the hard-working folks at this facility who are leading the way in advanced manufacturing. The future here is bright, and we’re glad to have such great support from the Auburn community and the state of Alabama.”
Alabama Governer Kay Ivey stated, “GE Aviation is at the leading edge of advanced aerospace Additive Manufacturing, and the company’s expansion plans at the Auburn facility will strengthen its technology leadership position.”
GE has to-date invested more than $100 million in its Auburn operation, which began producing the metal additively manufactured fuel nozzle tip for the LEAP jet engine in 2015. As of October 2018, some 30,000 of these parts had been produced.
