F E AT U R E
By Peter Zelinski
InTERvIEw:
GE Aviation
and the Morris
Technologies
Acquisition
The aircraft engine maker recently purchased two sister companies
dedicated to additive manufacturing. Technology leader Randy
Kappesser discusses the reasons for this move and what it means
to GE.
I
n an article that appeared in Additive Manufacturing last year, engineers with GE Aviation
were candid about not only the promise of
additive manufacturing technology, but also its
challenges. One of the challenges they described
relates to the size of the supplier base. There is
not currently enough capacity in North America, in
GE Aviation's preferred method of additive metal
manufacturing, to accommodate the demand that
GE Aviation by itself expects to have for this mode
of production.
Not long after that article appeared, GE announced a move aimed at addressing this very
challenge. Located in the Cincinnati area near GE
Aviation's Evendale, Ohio headquarters is a leading supplier of contract additive manufacturing
services—Morris Technologies. In order to secure
this company's capacity for its own use, GE Aviation acquired Morris Technologies and a sister
company, Rapid Quality Manufacturing (RQM).
8— AM Supplement
The move is a clear indication that additive
manufacturing is destined to become an established option for discrete-parts production at GE.
At the same time, though, the move was a fairly
natural step for the company. GE Aviation has
worked closely with Morris Technologies for more
than a decade. There has been plenty of time to
get to know both Morris and RQM, and to recognize the worth of these firms.
Randy Kappesser, composites technology
leader with GE Aviation, was involved in the
Morris/RQM acquisition and will continue to be
involved as these companies are integrated into
GE. He recently responded to questions about
the acquisition and what it signifies.
The LEAP engine will incorporate components made through
additive manufacturing. In the photo above, the engine is being evaluated at GE Aviation's Peebles Test Operation.