Technology · In the factory and the shop
Additive manufacturing
Printed turbine parts, consolidated assemblies, repair applications
Two independent sources on every claim.
Why it is here
Around 300 parts in each GE9X are printed, which changes both design and repair options.
At a glance
- Around 300 parts in every GE9X are made additively, which is the largest production use of the method in a commercial engine.
- The point is not cost. It is internal geometry that cannot be machined, and consolidating many parts into one.
- Fewer joints means fewer leak paths and fewer things to inspect, which reaches the line as a maintenance change rather than a manufacturing one.
- The repair side matters as much as the build side for out of production engines.
What it is
Additive manufacturing builds a part up in layers from metal powder, fused by a laser or electron beam, rather than cutting it from a billet or pouring it into a mould.
In plain terms
Conventional machining removes material to reveal a shape, so the shape has to be reachable by a tool. Additive builds the shape up, so it can create passages and cavities inside a part that no drill could have cut. That is why it is used for cooled turbine components, where the cooling passages are the hard part.
The second advantage is consolidation. A fuel nozzle assembled from twenty brazed pieces can be printed as one. Every joint removed is a potential leak path removed and an inspection item removed.
Why it matters on the line
On the line
The visible effect is fewer piece parts in the IPC and fewer joints to inspect, which is a simplification. The less visible effect is that a printed part is a single unit, so a repair scheme that would once have replaced one brazed element now replaces the whole assembly. Check the repair options before assuming a consolidated part is cheaper to own across its life. For out of production engines, approved additive repair is becoming one of the few routes to a part that is no longer produced, so approvals held by your shop are worth knowing about before you need them.
In plain terms
An IPC is the Illustrated Parts Catalogue, the manufacturer's breakdown of what an assembly is made of and what can be ordered separately.
The repair application is the part most likely to matter to this audience. Across the ageing fleets this site tracks, from the CF6 to the PW4000, support depends on used serviceable material and on approved repairs rather than new parts. Additive repair extends what can be restored rather than scrapped.
Where to read more
The engine with the largest production use is the GE9X. The ageing engines where repair development matters most are the PW4000 and the CF6.
Sources
- GE Aerospace, "GE9X Engine", product reference, accessed 15 October 2026. https://www.geaerospace.com/commercial/aircraft-engines/ge9x
- Metal AM, "GE Aerospace's first production GE9X engine delivered to Boeing", 2024. https://www.metal-am.com/ge-aerospaces-first-production-ge9x-engine-delivered-to-boeing/
- GE Aerospace, "GE9X Engine Achieves FAA Certification", 2020. https://www.geaerospace.com/news/articles/product/ge9x-engine-achieves-faa-certification
- Aviation Week, "Pratt & Whitney PW4000 Gets Longer Life", on repair development for ageing engines, 2026. https://aviationweek.com/mro/aircraft-propulsion/pratt-whitney-pw4000-gets-longer-life