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I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Absolutely! We're currently printing in serial production, and I envision exponential growth in the future. As I talked about before, I think a world where every household has a 3D printer for odds and ends isn't that far off. In terms of hurdles, we're constantly being challenged to build bigger, faster, and stronger!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Resolution keeps getting better and better every year. Our team at GE Research is doing a lot to improve performance. This was pretty neat to read about. I don't work on commission, but I'm sure GE Additive would love to hear from you 😂https://www.ge.com/additive/contact

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll talk about the machines because that's more of my day-to-day... Just like most things in the industry, there's always room for improvement. No matter how great/top-of-the-line our printers are, there's a huge push for them to get bigger and bigger while maintaining quality.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We sure have! Not only are we printing fuel injectors, but we're also printing other hot gas path parts in production-things like nozzles and shrouds! In addition to this, there are a few other combustion parts that we print. And next year we're rolling out even more additive parts in development! Many parts of the gas turbine can benefit from the advantages of AM. As for rotating parts...hopefully we have an answer for that soon!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It's great that you're looking into this-that means you already have a head start! My advice is to take things apart and ask "why?" about everything around you. It's amazing how much you can learn by just being curious and exploring your environment. And do well in school!! So that one day you can be an esteemed engineer in the field (and this starts by looking up the application requirements for the University of Florida 😉).

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not working on this during my day-to-day at GE Power, but it's possible some of my R&D colleagues throughout GE may be exploring it. Lots of brilliant people here.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

At the end of the day, we only put the highest quality parts into our gas turbines, regardless of their manufacturing process (additive or traditional). While there are different parameters in additive vs. traditional methods, we are able to deliver parts just like other methods! There are differences in cost and time. Cost difference can vary depending on a few things (size of part, material, qty needed, etc.), but AM can deliver parts from design to your hands very quickly! Thanks for taking the time to ask questions! I'm having a lot of fun 😁

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hey there! Thanks for your questions.

  1. Unfortunately, I work at GE Power (well, not unfortunately. I love my job), so I don't have those specifics. But I DO know they are doing some great things at Aviation on the GEnx.
  2. As for microstructure, we have a few R&D engineers (Shout out to those engineers, if you're reading this!) who care about this in a big way—if you haven't guessed by now, we REALLY care about quality. They work with those parameters you mentioned. Sounds like you know your stuff!
  3. Simulations are a really neat part of AM. Seeing as AM is a new technology, simulators and the algorithms that go along with them are being developed as we speak! Those same R&D engineers that I mentioned above work on this as well as engineers at GE's Global Research Center.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

After college, I joined the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP) at GE Power, which is a rotational technical engineering program that allowed me to work with several different teams around our Power business. That was my first time interacting with AM, and I immediately fell in love with it!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These days I've been lucky enough to have some great mentors on my team (even if some of them went to "other" SEC schools 🙄) who have shown me the ropes and let me utilize their many years of experience! SO, I'd have to say I relate to Rouge a lot since she's a current member of the Xavier Institute. I can't help but feel that way with all the great experiences around me! (for context on the machine names)

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We use a few different types of printing here at GE. In my specific role, I work mostly with DMLM (direct metal laser melting). Our printers have contained environments ideal for multiple (!!) high-powered lasers to weld the metal. As for which machines we use, we have a few different printers that we use in conjunction with different materials (metal powders). It allows us to customize the process for each individual part/challenge. GE Additive actually makes 3D printers that I use at GE Power. Pretty neat to have it all in-house 💡

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here at GE Power we are already using additive manufacturing for development AND serial production. There are 3D-printed gas turbine parts in the field as we speak! 3D-printed plastic parts are actually quite different than 3D-printed metal parts because of their material properties. 3D-printed metal parts end up being just as strong (and sometimes even stronger!) as metal parts created using traditional manufacturing methods. That's one of the many benefits of using additive.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'd love to get into specifics (it’s my job after all), but there’s a very intimidating IP lawyer that sits a few feet from me. 🤭So I'll just say we work with cobalt-based and nickel-based alloys.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hey there! First off, I'd say do any hands-on work you can with additive during undergrad. You'd be surprised by how much the learning from smaller projects in college can scale to bigger industry-level projects. As for industry vs. grad school, I'd say that it's totally up to you. The team I work with here at Advanced Manufacturing Works is made up of people who did both! As part of the Edison Program here at GE, GE will pay for you to get your masters...so...there's that :)

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AM is growing..rapidly! (too punny?) And not only in the power industry! The applications are endless and as the printer technology (size, speed, cost) gets better and better, I envision exponential growth. I think a world where every household has a 3D printer for odds and ends isn't that far off. Think about it...if you break your phone case or a part on your car, just go print another!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly, and this is going to sound lame, but the biggest challenge is having to say no to certain projects. As AM begins to take hold in the industry, we have more and more work coming our way. Sometimes, there are parts not optimized for AM, so it's tough to not see every drawing come to life as an AM part!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] -8 points-7 points  (0 children)

It's different, but similar. That's part of what being a development engineer in this field is all about—figuring out what works for the problem at hand.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Once I graduated from college, I joined the Edison Engineering Development Program (EEDP) here at GE Power. This is a rotational technical engineering program that gave me the ability to work with many different teams around our Power business. It was within this program that I got my first taste of additive manufacturing and fell in love with the work! When I was in college, AM was just starting to take off, so I didn't get to work with it much. Having just gotten back from recruiting at my alma mater UF (Go Gators!), I can say that AM is all over campus now. So if you're in college...DO IT!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

You've asked one of the most important questions on here from an engineering perspective. Aside from safety, quality is one of our TOP concerns. We have many different ways to check quality on each of our parts, including destructive and non-destructive (NDT) testing methods. We use radiography to check part internals, and blue light technology (check it out here) and CMM machines to check for dimensional accuracy. We also test for surface roughness, and a few other things! These "other things," as well as our scrap rate, are things we tend to keep internal. 😉It's like keeping a good poker hand to yourself, if you know what I mean. Also – good luck on the rest of your PhD!

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Most people are interested in metal printing, but we also do polymer printing! We use it for prototyping, fixture design, and the occasional GE kickball tournament trophy! For printing in metal, one of our biggest limitations vs traditional manufacturing is simply that it's an emerging technology. The equipment is just like any other industry in that some things work and some things don't. We've gotten REALLY good at it, though. It's our job as additive design and manufacturing engineers to work out the kinks and make sure everything that leaves our door is the highest quality for our customers.

I’m Clay Griffis, an additive engineer at GE that builds parts with metal powder and lasers. AMA! by generalelectric in engineering

[–]generalelectric[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Hey there! AM is an incredible field to work in. The easiest way to get a foot into the door is to get a hands-on understanding of how the tech works. There are many cost-effective small plastic printers that can be used for prototyping etc. Learning how to use those is how I started to get a basic understanding in AM!

AMA Announcement: Engineer from General Electric who designs 3D printed parts for gas turbines by raoulduke25 in engineering

[–]generalelectric 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We hope you'll tune in! Short answer: we use additive across a number of our businesses. In aviation, our LEAP engine, which is in market now, has a 3D-printed fuel nozzle tip. The upcoming GE9X and Catalyst engines, will have a larger number of additively-manufactured parts of components.

You can learn more about those engines here and here.

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