NEWS LASERS IN ACTION
Jenoptik sells laser cutting machines worth €10m to automotive suppliers
Jenoptik has sold several 3D laser machines worth approximately €10 million to leading German car manufacturers. The machines will be used for contour trimming structural components, especially those for electric cars, the company stated. The Jenoptik-Votan BIM laser
system is designed to machine complex metal and plastic parts – it offers both fibre and CO2
laser
technology. The laser beam is guided inside a robotic arm to the cutting head via an actively cooled mirror system. The latest generation of the machine, which was sold here, has several 3D laser processing robots operating in parallel. The machines and the processes
were first tested by customers in the Jenoptik application centre, and were shown to be flexible and fast, especially when working with lightweight materials such as aluminium die castings. Jenoptik has also acquired
Michigan-based Five Lakes Automation (FLA), a provider of complex automated manufacturing solutions. FLA’s experience in handling devices and integrating production systems into process lines will complement Jenoptik’s speciality in 3D laser processing. FLA has expertise in joining
complex metal components, especially welding systems. The company is based close to Jenoptik’s new technology campus in Rochester Hills, USA.
GE ADDITIVE TO REVEAL CUBIC METRE AM MACHINE FOR AEROSPACE AT FORMNEXT
General Electric subsidiary GE Additive will unveil a laser-powder additive manufacturing machine with a build envelope of one cubic metre at Formnext in November in Frankfurt, Germany. The machine has been two years
in development and is capable of producing aircraft parts. GE’s customers will receive beta versions of the machine by the end of the year, and the production version will be available for purchase next year. GE is targeting first deliveries in late 2018. Additive components are
typically lighter, more durable and more efficient than traditional casting and forged parts, requiring fewer welds and joints, and less assembly. They also generate far less waste material and provide an opportunity for engineers to expand design possibilities. Additive manufacturing could therefore bring a wide range of benefits to the aerospace sector. ‘The machine will 3D print
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aviation parts that are one metre in diameter, suitable for making jet engine structural components and parts for single-aisle aircraft,’ explained Mohammad Ehteshami, vice president and general manager of GE Additive. ‘The machine will also be applicable for manufacturers in the automotive, power, and oil and gas industries.’ The initial technology
demonstrator, Atlas, builds upon GE’s technology along with that from German firm Concept Laser, which was acquired by GE last year. Concept Laser currently has the largest laser-powder bed AM machine on the market with a build envelope of 800 x 400 x 500mm, according to GE.
LASER SYSTEMS EUROPE ISSUE 36 • AUTUMN 2017
By 2020, GE Aviation will be manufacturing in excess of 100,000 parts via additive manufacturing for the CFM Leap engine
The new cubic metre production
version of the additive machine has a build geometry that can be customised for an individual project. According to GE Additive, its feature resolution and build-rate speeds will equal or better today’s additive machines. It is also
billion in manufacturing and additive technologies at its Global Research Center over the past 10 years
GE has invested $1.5
designed to be used with a range of both non-reactive and reactive materials, such as aluminium and titanium. Overall GE has invested
approximately $1.5 billion in manufacturing and additive technologies at its Global Research Center (GRC) over the past 10
years, and has developed additive applications across six of its businesses. GE Additive is also now looking
to certify several companies to create a network of additive production centres. The centres will each be held to GE’s standard of quality and will receive guidance and advice from its additive design and manufacturing experts. ‘We [GE Additive] are not
currently in the business of making additive parts for other companies,’ commented Ehteshami. ‘We want to accelerate additive manufacturing by providing machines, materials and engineering consultancy services to them. However, we do recognise that there is a huge demand for additive parts, so we feel that setting up these certified production centres will allow us to meet the growing demand for additive components.’
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GE Aviation
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