GE Aviation，是喷气发动机，组件和集成系统的跨国公司提供商，已成为第一个为商用喷气发动机组件维修提供金属添加剂制造的人。
The firm’s Loyang facility in Singapore has become the first maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility worldwide that has been approved to use the technology for this purpose.
新加坡GE Aviation Engine Services Services Services（GE AESS）执行制造业负责人Chen Keng Nam说：“这种破坏性技术不仅可以用于许多应用程序。”“当我超越维修范围为新事物时，看到我们可以使用添加剂设计和打印的零件令人震惊。
“现在，设计师正在利用能够生产新设计的能力，这些设计以前无法想象或制造传统方法。”
GE航空的3D打印
自GE首次在其GE90发动机中纳入添加剂制造以来，该技术已有发挥关键作用自2013年以来，该公司的下一代GE9X引擎的开发。
在2020年波音completed the first flight of its 777X jet powered by two GE9X engines, which are each equipped with over 300 3D printed parts. Aside from its engines, GE Aviation is also deploying additive manufacturing for other airplane components and delivered its100,000th 3D printed LEAP fuel nozzle tip去年八月。
关于MRO，GE Aviation已经在使用3D打印来修复其CF6发动机中的零件，它说这是宽体飞机上最可靠，最畅销的商业发动机。该公司认为，下一个目标是部署该技术来修复其CFM56发动机的零件，据报道，这是商业航空历史上最畅销的发动机。
3D printing for aerospace MRO
When repairing used parts, the repair has to be customized for each individual part as each one wears differently during service, a capability that can be realized with 3D printing. Additive manufacturing for repair also enables new levels of complexity, and offers significant potential in this area.
GE AESS董事总经理Iain Rodger说：“在供应链的这一部分中，我们的客户真正珍视了更快的周转时间，这就是我们正在实现的目标。”“使用我们的GE添加剂概念激光M2机器通常将我们修理这些飞机零件花费的时间减半。”
One example of where 3D printing for MRO has been used at GE Aviation is in the repair of high-pressure compressor (HPC) blades that run at high speeds and tight clearances within aircraft engines. The blades are subject to regular wear and tear that requires continuous repair and replacement over time, traditionally involving a long process of cutting, welding and grinding to create the proper shape for the part.
To make the repair of the HPC blade tips more efficient, GE Aviation has developed an automated additive manufacturing process that saves both time and costs in regard to labor and machining. The process utilizes an image analysis software that maps the shape of a used blade and creates customized instructions for GE’s Concept Laser M2 3D printer to fabricate a new tip. The 3D printed part can then be finished with minimal additional processing.
罗杰说：“与传统维修过程相比，我们的员工每天能够维修的两倍，生产率提高。”“后处理也需要更少的设备，因此所需的地板空间减少了三分之一。除此之外，我们目前还在评估压缩机以外的涡轮零件和其他组件中要做什么。
“Day-to-day, working with customers, they will know that there’s a difference as they will be seeing their parts return to them more quickly.”
In addition to quicker turnaround times, deploying metal 3D printing for aircraft part repairs also has sustainable benefits as well.
罗杰补充说：“对我来说，添加剂的重要优势之一就是它的可持续性。”“这将使我们能够修复更多的零件，并将更少的零件扔进垃圾箱，使用更少的能量，减少浪费并具有较小的占地面积。维修能力是可持续发展之旅的重要组成部分。随着行业的扩展和新技术的发展，这只会增加。”
Gaining approval for AM MRO in Singapore
新加坡经济发展委员会支持GE Aviation的初步开发试验，该试验将飞机MRO的金属添加剂制造引入该国。新加坡团队对维修过程进行了微调，设计工具以有效地准备和打印零件，然后进行广泛的技术试验以确保零件的质量和安全性。
“虽然德国辛辛那提GE航空添加剂技术中心的团队和德国GE添加剂Lichtenfels致力于开发概念激光M2机器的打印参数，但我们在新加坡的团队着重于使过程稳健和生产友好所需的修改。GE Aviation高级工程经理Shih Tung Ngiam说。
在2020年，GE添加剂开发了一条试验生产线和自动粉末回收系统，以简化维修操作，但是Covid-19延迟了一段时间。次年，Loyang团队准备与修复HPC刀片的全面生产线一起生活。
The team found that leveraging the Concept Laser M2 metal 3D printer not only allowed the components to be repaired quicker using less floor space, but also produced the repaired blade very close to the final desired shape, requiring significantly less labor and equipment to achieve the finished part.
Ngiam说：“添加剂为我们提供了速度和生产力，所需的地面空间较少。”“我们仔细考虑了如何最好地将M2集成到维修线的其余部分中。我们完成了一个我们应该独自一人的维修部分的评估，哪些可以从添加剂中受益，以及我们需要对维修过程进行的其他更改才能使其有意义。”
GE航空团队随后建立了一个强大的质量保证流程，以确保可以批准添加剂MRO流程进行终端生产。该设施现在已获得使用其金属添加剂制造维修工艺为商用喷气发动机零件的MRO的批准。
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特色图片显示GE Aviation已使用3D打印来生产飞机零件，包括在波音的777X喷气发动机（如图）中。通过波音的照片。
