GKN Aerospace, a leading multi-technology tier 1 aerospace supplier, has announced the relocation of its North America Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence to Fort Worth’s Lone Star Commerce Center. With a larger facility, plans for an additional larger AM cell, and increased collaboration within the aerospace ecosystem, the move will strengthen its position as an additive technology leader.
The 100,000-square-foot facility will initially house research and development for large-scale titanium aerostructures using laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) additive manufacturing technology.
Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Texas
GKN Aerospace will relocate existing equipment and personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Tennessee to the new Texas site in early 2023. GKN Aerospace plans to transform the facility into its fourth Global Technology Center over the next few years, joining existing centres in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
“We are very excited to bring our additive technology research to Fort Worth. With proximity to many of our major customers in Texas and across the US, this is the right place for GKN Aerospace. Along with partnership with local government, we look forward to expanding our titanium additive manufacturing capabilities and pushing the boundaries of this technology for our customers and the aerospace industry.”
– Shawn Black, GKN Aerospace’s President of Defence
Over the next two years, GKN Aerospace will renovate the facility with office space and equipment, while the City of Fort Worth will provide grant funding based on qualified R&D investment. When fully staffed, the centre can accommodate up to 100 people.
“Fort Worth is proud to welcome GKN Aerospace and excited by the cutting-edge R&D that it will bring to the region. This Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence builds on a strong cluster of Fort Worth-based firms who are innovating the future of aerospace and transportation manufacturing, and we look forward to the partnership that we are building with GKN Aerospace.”
– Robert Sturns, Director of Economic Development for the City of Fort Worth
GKN Aerospace is already a world leader in LMD-w technology, with decades of experience in advanced aero-engine component development and large aerostructure expertise, and AM components flying on platforms in the civil, engines, and space markets. It recently passed a significant milestone by completing its largest titanium AM demonstration part to date, a component measuring 8 feet (2.5 metres) and made from approximately 100 pounds of titanium wire.
