GE Oil & Gas to use additive manufacturing for printing metal parts and materials​

June 7, 2016
GE Oil & Gas has inaugurated two new high-tech component production lines at its plant in Talamona, Italy.

GE Oil & Gas (London, England) has inaugurated two new high-tech component production lines at its plant in Talamona, Italy. A new nozzle production line is the first completely automated line for the company, and a new additive manufacturing line will use laser technology to 3D-print end burners for gas turbine combustion chambers.

The upgraded turbine and compressor components manufacturing facility is the result of a EUR 10 million, two-year investment. Previous investments in 2013 increased the plant's production capacity.

The new nozzle production line is the first completely automated line in a GE Oil & Gas plant. It utilizes two anthropomorphic robots capable of employing 10 different technologies, including electrical discharge machining, measurement, and laser beam welding. With this new line, the company will be able to produce components in Talamona that it previously purchased from third-party suppliers.

GE Oil & Gas to use robotics and 3D printing in futuristic Talamona plant.

GE Oil & Gas is pioneering the industry's foray into additive manufacturing, which offers increased speed and accuracy in component production. The technology, also utilized heavily in the aviation, medical, and design industries, represents the next frontier for energy manufacturing. After extensive validation of additive manufacturing during prototyping of the NovaLT16 gas turbine, GE decided to move the technology into full production, leveraging the design enhancement capabilities, cycle time reduction, and improved product quality.

The site is also managed with software with the capacity not only to schedule activities, but also to support maintenance activity that is no longer simply "preventative," but "predictive."

GE has been investing and growing its work in additive manufacturing across R&D sites spanning Bangalore, India; Niskayuna, Japan; Michigan; Shanghai, China; and Munich, Germany. The applications for that work span the entire GE footprint, including the use of cobalt-chromium alloys for jet engines that were originally used for joint replacements and dental implants. Talamona coming online brings years of automation and 3D printing development and investment to fruition.

GE Oil & Gas opened an additive manufacturing lab in Florence, Italy in 2013, with the installation of the first direct-metal laser melting (DMLM) machine. Since then, the laboratory has grown its capabilities, thanks to the addition of two further machines for the development of turbomachinery components and special alloys. Collaborations with GE Aviation and GE Global Research Centre have significantly accelerated the development of the technology within GE.

The new production lines are already working and will be fully operational by the start of 2017.

For more information, please visit www.geoilandgas.com.

Sponsored Recommendations

Brain Computer Interface (BCI) electrode manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
Learn how an industry-leading Brain Computer Interface Electrode (BCI) manufacturer used precision laser micromachining to produce high-density neural microelectrode arrays.

Electro-Optic Sensor and System Performance Verification with Motion Systems

Jan. 31, 2025
To learn how to use motion control equipment for electro-optic sensor testing, click here to read our whitepaper!

How nanopositioning helped achieve fusion ignition

Jan. 31, 2025
In December 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved fusion ignition. Learn how Aerotech nanopositioning contributed to this...

Nanometer Scale Industrial Automation for Optical Device Manufacturing

Jan. 31, 2025
In optical device manufacturing, choosing automation technologies at the R&D level that are also suitable for production environments is critical to bringing new devices to market...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Laser Focus World, create an account today!