GE opens additive manufacturing centre in Pittsburgh

GE worker holds up a finished product in front of a polymer 3D printer at GE`s CATA facility.

Conglomerate corporation and product maker GE has opened a multi-million dollar additive manufacturing centre near Pittsburgh, Pa.

GE’s Center for Additive Technology Advancement (CATA) will be the company’s flagship centre for additive manufacturing with a focus on developing and implementing industrial applications.

According to GE, the new facility represents a US$39 million investment over three years and will result in the creation of 50 high-tech engineering jobs initially, in disciplines ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering. The facility has several direct metal laser melting (DMLM) machines, which can print parts in metal alloys. The company is planning to add US$10 million worth of machines this year, including a US$2 million DMLM printer with four lasers that can print four different parts at the same time and a laser hot-wire machine that can quickly and precisely restore worn-out parts.

GE also said that CATA will combine lean manufacturing and optimal productivity with advanced software analytics to improve capabilities and usage of additive manufacturing across GE while advancing materials sciences and inspection technologies.

“The application of insights from digital connectivity in collaboration with intelligent devices will elevate the skills of our workforce, streamline productivity and enhance product development overall,” said GE chief productivity officer Philippe Cochet of the centre’s opening. “This represents a new era of manufacturing.”