The Birmingham (AL) Business Journal (5/10, Van der Bilj) reports that GE Aviation has opened a new $200 million manufacturing facility in Huntsville, Alabama. The “two-factory complex” will “mass produce silicon carbide (SiC) materials – a critical step in the company’s production of ceramic matrix composites (CMC) components.”
According to the Business Journal, GE Aviation “said CMCs’ lightweight properties and ability to withstand high temperatures will reduce engine weight and enhance engine performance, durability and fuel economy – a breakthrough for aerospace manufacturing, which is seeing a rise in jet engine production rates.”
GE Aviation Executive Mike Kauffman is quoted saying, “After years of research and testing, GE Aviation and our partners have cracked the code on mass producing CMC material. The impact of these materials will be felt around the globe.”
The article also states that “the number of employees at the complex should reach 150 by the end of 2018, with a total reaching 300 at peak production.”
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