LEAP 1-B engine, courtesy of CFM International.

GE Aerospace has announced revenue rose by 27% in Q2 2022 thanks to new additive manufactured (AM) fuel nozzle-enabled engine sales. The revenue boost is thanks to its sale of over 200 CFM International LEAP-1B engines to major clients Delta Air Lines and Qatar Airways. The engines feature AM fuel nozzles that are 15% more fuel efficient than CFM56 alternatives. As part of the July 2022 agreement, the engines will soon be fitted to the customers’ fleets of Boeing 737-10 aircraft, allowing them to be more sustainable and reduce fuel consumption.

The Tungsten Industry Conflict Minerals Council announced the release of an updated version of its Tungsten Framework document. The Tungsten Industry—Conflict Minerals Council (TI-CMC or “the Council”) is a framework through which its members can provide the industry, tungsten consumers, and the public with assurances that the tungsten products are sourced within current guidance and regulations.  

A new production process for titanium is scaling up. Anastasios “Taso” Arima, the founder and CEO of start-up IperionX announced the new process uses hydrogen assisted metallothermic reduction (HAMR) instead of carbon. The HAMR process is touted as sustainable with a lower processing cost.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, Ames Iowa, has announced a name change, to Ames National Laboratory. The change was made to more accurately reflect the institution’s past, present, and future role as a DOE National Laboratory, reinforcing the science and service it provides to meet its clean energy goals and objectives.

   
                                                                                                     AM shovels used during the groundbreaking ceremony.

After opening a large new additive manufacturing facility in Monroe, North Carolina last month, Collins Aerospace broke ground on a $14 million expansion of its additive manufacturing center in West Des Moines, Iowa.