Layer by layer
From jet engine parts to hip replacements, 3D printing of complex metal parts is part of the revolution in additive manufacturing. By Erich Parpart in Hai Phong, Vietnam
People think 3D printing is as simple as operating an ink printer, but it’s not. The fuel nozzle requires orchestrating over 3,000 layers of powdered metal that are about the thickness of a human hair
Most of us still think of 3D printing in terms of small units that can print simple three-dimensional solid objects from a digital computer file. But big industrial companies such as General Electric (GE) have taken this concept to extraordinary lengths and are applying it on a much larger scale to create highly complex machine parts made from metal.
3D printing is the operation at the heart of a process known as additive manufacturing (AM), which involves creating an object by building it one layer at a time. AM has been around for three decades but until recently most of the items produced were polymer-based. Recent advances that allow for the creation of sophisticated metal parts have created a new buzz in the industry.
That buzz is evident at GE’s Hai Phong manufacturing site in Vietnam, where AM is one of many cutting-edge operations. It specialises in wind-turbine generators and electrical control system components and has exported some 6,000 generator units in the past decade. That makes it a key contributor to GE Renewable Energy, which has installed more than 400 gigawatts of generating capacity globally and has sales exceeding US$10 billion annually.
The Hai Phong site is one of only five GE locations worldwide to earn the designation “Brilliant Factory”. It contains all the state-of-the-art innovations that you expect from a smart factory including advanced data analytics, Internet of Things and robotics applications. The only other “brilliant” GE site in Asia Pacific is its healthcare manufacturing site in Hino, Japan.
GE now operates in 15 countries in Asia Pacific with 23 manufacturing sites but only Hino and Hai Phong support all four of the company’s new pillars: lean manufacturing, digital maturity, advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing.
Other GE sites in the region will eventually undertake the same journey as Hino and Hai Phong but it won’t be easy. “It is a long and challenging journey to transform and develop a Brilliant Factory,” said Trang Vu, general manager of the Hai Phong facility.
“As a company, Asia Pacific is a very important region and we have a constant focus on this part of the world and we are always looking for ways to optimise our supply chain,” Wouter Van Wersch, president and CEO of GE Asia Pacific, said of the possibility of making all of its facilities “brilliant”.
“If the market requires it, we could grow further as this is a question of demand and supply,” he said. “There is definitely a push that we have and ultimately, we want all of our factories to be brilliant.
“This requires some investment so we will do it gradually over time and we will utilise all the technology that we have in-house to make it happen.” FASTER, CHEAPER, BETTER
By optimising manufacturing processes, a smart factory can reduce product lead time by up to 50% and reduce inventory by about 20%, while increasing productivity by up to 20%. As a conglomerate with aviation, healthcare, power, renewable energy, digital industry, lighting, transport as well as oil and gas operations, GE aims to cut between $3 billion and $5 billion a year in costs across the group, a lot of it thanks to AM technology.
Lean manufacturing and digital maturity at the Hai Phong factory are apparent in almost everything you can see, from simple handheld tools that are all digitally connected to its in-house Predix system to monitor the efficiency and performance of all equipment.
All employees use digital ID tags to start and operate machines, while automatic delivery robots run along the yellow lines on the floors. Now the company knows exactly who is using each machine, at what time and for how long, and can use this data to evaluate the performance of machine operators. The data can also be used for predictive maintenance to keep machines from breaking down.
The use of data analytics while the machines are communicating with one another allows for all processes and workflows involved in making generators and electrical components to be constantly optimised and refined.
Behind the scenes, augmented and virtual reality are being used increasingly in the design and manufacturing processes, with technology that allows components with extremely complex internal geometry to be created from a computer.
Additive manufacturing, GE says, is all about creating “lighter, stronger parts and systems” with improved performance that would be impossible with traditional processes. The ability to print functional parts from metal alloys represents a turning point that has spurred a lot of investment in AM in recent years.
GE Additive and its partner SmarTech Publishing, an industry analysis firm, estimate that $13 billion was spent on 3D printers, materials, software and services from 2014-18, with half of that being spent in 2017 alone. They forecast that $280 billion will be invested in AM over the next decade.
Wohlers Associates, which has published annual reports on AM for 23 years, said the industry worldwide grew by 21% from 2016 to 2017, reaching a market value of $7.3 billion. It estimated that 1,768 metal AM systems were sold in 2017, an increase of nearly 80% from the year before, as “global manufacturers are becoming aware of the benefits of producing metal parts by additive manufacturing”.
Globally, 135 companies produced and sold industrial AM systems in 2017, up from 97 in 2016. These systems are defined as machines that sell for more than $5,000 per unit. There are now more machines available with open material platforms, faster printing speeds and lower prices than ever before.
AM uses data from computer-aided-design (CAD) software or 3D object scanners to direct hardware to deposit material, layer upon layer, in precise geometric shapes. AM adds ultrathin layers of material to create an object, while traditional processes remove material through milling, machining, carving or shaping. JET ENGINE INNOVATION
Building an aircraft engine requires a lot of complex mechanical and electrical parts. GE Aviation, the world’s largest supplier of jet engines, is