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Strong vehicle sales bolstered the auto industry, one of the main bright spots for US manufacturing last year. As growth in other industries slowed, light-vehicle sales enabled automakers to maintain output and add jobs. Consulting company IHS Automotive projects another


record year of 17.84 million vehicles this year. “Although interest rates will be rising in 2016, savings from low fuel costs coupled with improving economic conditions will keep the vehicle market on the road towards another sales record this year,” Charles Chesbrough, IHS senior prin- cipal economist, said in a statement. In December, the Federal Reserve raised the key federal funds rate to 0.25% to 0.50% from its previous range of 0 to 0.25%. The rate had been near zero for almost a decade to spur economic growth after the recession brought on by financial crisis that began in late 2007. Other US manufacturing sectors were hit in 2015 by a


strong dollar, which makes exported goods more expensive overseas, and by a slowing economy in China, which has been a key market for manufactured goods.


GE Begins Output of 3D-Printed Fuel Nozzle Interiors


G


eneral Electric Co. has begun producing 3D-printed fuel nozzle interiors at a factory in Auburn, AL, a


spokesman said.


“Machines have been qualified and low-rate production of the fuel nozzle tips in Auburn, using additive machines, is underway,” Rick Kennedy, the GE spokesman, said in an e-mail in December. GE announced the project in July 2014. At the time, GE said


production would begin in 2015, without being more specific. In September, Mike Cloran, marketing communications lead for GE additive manufacturing in Cincinnati, said in a September e-mail the production start would be in the fourth quarter. “Production is underway at the Auburn plant as sched- uled,” Cloran said in a separate e-mail in December. The aerospace industry is looking to 3D printing as a way


to produce parts with intricate shapes while being more ef- ficient with metals such as titanium. With traditional manufac- turing, as much as 95% of metal is cut away while machining some aerospace parts. Aerospace companies say additive manufacturing can re- duce waste to 5–10%. 3D printing also makes new designs possible that can’t be done with traditional methods.


February 2016 | AdvancedManufacturing.org 21


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