GE Aviation, Cincinnati, will invest $27 million to develop advanced manufacturing methods for ceramic matrix composites at its plant in Newark, Del. Engineers at GE Global Research designed machines that coat the ceramic fibers, compress the fibers into tapes, and mold the tapes into shaped panels that are then fused in a furnace. The process can produce parts such as turbine shrouds, combustor liners, turbine blades, and fairings. CMCs can handle temperatures as high as 2400°F and the punishing forces inside jet engines. They are also one third lighter than conventional alloys.
GE predicts demand for CMC components in jet engines will grow tenfold over the next decade. The first LEAP engine, which is manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture between France’s Safran and GE Aviation, is scheduled to enter commercial service in 2016.
The money will also help GE speed up innovation. It will help create a system of “lean labs” at the plant designed to foster collaboration between engineering and manufacturing teams. Workers and scientists will work together to prove a component’s manufacturing readiness before scaling to mass production.
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