GE Aviation to retrofit over 400 commercial jets engines with new additive manufactured sensor
April 15, 2015
GE Aviation has reported that the US Federal Aviation Administration has granted certification of its new T25 engine sensor for the GE90-94B engine. The upgraded T25 sensor, located in the inlet to the high pressure compressor, is being retrofitted into more than 400 of the GE90-94B engines in service. The T25 sensor, which incorporates an additive manufactured component for the housing, provides pressure and temperature measurements for the engine’s control system.
Company’s first AM part takes off on a GE90 engine
The company added that its GE90 engine, which was the first jet engine to utilise composite fibre polymeric material on the front fan blades 20 years ago, achieved another milestone by becoming the first GE engine to incorporate an additive manufactured component in a commercial GE jet engine. The GE90 family of engines powers Boeing’s 777 planes.
“Additive Manufacturing has allowed GE engineers to quickly change the geometry through rapid prototyping and producing production parts, saving months of traditional cycle time for the T25 sensor housing without impacting the sensor’s capabilities,” stated Bill Millhaem, General Manager of the GE90/GE9X engine program at GE Aviation.
Several next-generation engines currently in development will incorporate additive manufactured parts. On the company’s LEAP engine for narrow-body aircraft and the GE9X for the Boeing 777X aircraft, GE Aviation will produce part of the fuel nozzles with Additive Manufacturing.
Additive Manufacturing of components can reduce part count by replacing assemblies with single parts and can be lighter than previous designs, saving weight and increasing an engine’s fuel efficiency.
