GE Auburn to add 3D printing

GE Aviation will install a high-volume, additive manufacturing facility at its existing operations in Auburn, Ala., according to an announcement Tuesday at the Farnborough International Airshow near London. The $50 million 3-D printing initiative will produce fuel nozzles for jet engines. The company will partner with Auburn University and other institutions on workforce, research and technology requirements for the project. The Auburn plant, which opened last year and produces machined parts for jet engines, has more than 70 workers and is expected to reach 300 by the end of the decade. (Source: al.com, 07/15/14) Gulf Coast note: GE Aviation also has an engine parts plant near Hattiesburg, Miss.; Rolls-Royce tests the Trent series of jetliner engines at Stennis Space Center, Miss. For background stories on 3D printing here, see Gulf Coast Aerospace Corridor 2014-2015, Chapter I, pages 31-33, "Aerospace a big player in 3D print" and "AMRO takes leap into 3D printing."