Jul 17, 2018 | By Thomas
GE Additive today announced that it has launched its Manufacturing Partner Network (MPN), an open, competitive marketplace aiming to accelerate both supply and demand for additive manufacturing. The first three Manufacturing Partners (MPs) to join the network are Burloak Technologies, Carpenter Technology Corporation and Proto Labs Inc. These companies will help customers make additive parts in volume.
GE Additive believes that as companies become ready to take the next step and move into volume production of additive parts they are looking for cost-efficient, scalable routes to volume production. However, limited access to equipment, funding to invest and expertise often prevents them from taking the next critical steps. Additive manufacturing suppliers are also seeking demand to build long-term business cases in order to invest, while OEMs need a guaranteed source of capacity, so they can continue to invest with confidence.
“We know first hand that the transition from prototyping to volume production is possibly the biggest step on any company’s additive journey and that can be daunting. The MPN is designed to give companies a range of options to help them progress and continue innovating by connecting them with a choice of trusted additive production partners to give them peace of mind, in a cost-efficient way, “ said Jason Oliver, President & CEO, GE Additive.
The MPN will add additional MPs in all regions, but by design will remain a select group of additive manufacturing specialists who all understand the capabilities and future of this technology. Manufacturing Partners will also benefit commercially in three areas:
- Direct demand generation through a network of OEMs and revenue opportunities generated by GE Additive’s sales teams.
- Knowledge sharing across the network. This includes access to over 150 AddWorksTM consultants and technical support. New GE Additive technologies and innovation will be made available to MPs for testing and feedback shared will be incorporated into future product development.
- Co-marketing support and campaigns, including permission to use the GE monogram on all sales, marketing and promotional materials, communications channels and buildings.
GE Additive selected by Honda to provide consulting services
GE Additive, which is attending the Farnborough International Airshow this week, has also announced its first AddWorks additive consulting services engagement in Japan with Honda R&D Co., Ltd, Aircraft Engine R&D Center.
GE and Honda have been partnering together in the aviation industry for over ten years. GE Aviation and Honda Aero established the joint venture GE Honda Aero Engines LLC in 2004 to develop the GE Honda HF120 jet engine used on light business jet aircrafts such as HondaJet, the most delivered jet in its category for 2017.
To help introduce and accelerate 3D printing into their businesses, GE Additive provides 3D printers, materials and AddWorks engineering consultancy services. AddWorks consultants help determine whether additive manufacturing will benefit the organization economically as well as from a performance perspective. GE Additive hopes these services will lead to enhancements of the existing partnership and further the adoption of additive manufacturing in the aerospace industry.
GE Additive established its operations in Japan this January and announced the availability of commercial offerings in June 2018 as part of its plans to be a $1 billion business by 2020 with a strategy to sell 10,000 machines by 2026. GE Additive in Japan will sell Concept Laser and Arcam EBM additive machines as well as materials directly and via local resellers to Japan-based customers with a focus on key industries, including aerospace, automotive, heavy industry and others.
“We are pleased that Honda Aircraft Engine R&D Center has selected GE Additive to be its vendor in providing AddWorks consulting services to further the use of this transformative technology in its future generation aircraft engines,” said Thomas Pang, the Director of GE Additive in Japan. “We are in the best position to share our learnings from our own additive journey, having started from prototyping to successfully applying it to mass production for aviation engine parts.”
Triumph Group selects GE Additive to help accelerate its additive journey
In addition to the partnership with Honda, GE Additive also announced that aerospace industry leader Triumph Group has selected two of its systems, as well as a range of AddWorks consultancy service packages to help further its additive manufacturing strategy.
From left to right: Gary Tenison, VP strategy and business development, Triumph Group, Jason Oliver, President & CEO, GE Additive, Dan Rowley, President & CEO Triumph Group, David Joyce, Vice Chair of GE and President and CEO, GE Aviation Tom Holzthum, EVP Integrated Systems, Triumph Group, Ryan Martin, Sales Leader Americas, GE Additive
"I really admire Triumph’s smart and progressive strategy in adopting a multimodality approach to their additive journey," said Jason Oliver, President and CEO, GE Additive. “And when you add to that the deep experience and divergent thinking of our AddWork’s team, I look forward to seeing the results of what I hope will be a long and rewarding relationship.”
Triumph Group participates at all levels of the aerospace supply chain, ranging from single components, to complex systems, to aerospace structures and their contents, and offers solutions for the entire product life cycle of an aircraft.
Triumph has selected a Concept Laser M2 Cusing Multilaser DMLM system and an Arcam EBM Q20plus system to be installed at its R&D facility in Seattle with installation expected to be completed within Q3 2018. The AddWorks team will partner closely with the team at Triumph on a range of areas, including discovery workshops, materials selections through to advising on prototyping strategies.
“Triumph Group is excited to work with GE Additive to broaden Triumph’s utilization of additive manufacturing technology,” said Dan Crowley, President & CEO, Triumph Group. “Thus far we have successfully used additive manufacturing for prototyping, and we are rapidly growing its use for design competency. This partnership with GE Additive will strengthen our additive manufacturing capability, accelerating our ability to design and develop future on-wing solutions for our customers.”
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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