GE Aviation
Develops and manufactures jet engines and components using additive manufacturing, including the first FAA-certified 3D-printed fuel nozzles (21,000+ delivered) for LEAP engines, reducing part count and weight.
- CEO / Founder
- H. Lawrence Culp, Jr.
- Team Size
- 5001-10000
- Stage
- Subsidiary
- Latest Round
- Grant
- Key Investors
- NASA
Technology & Products
Key Products
Additively manufactured engine components (fuel nozzles, blades, brackets, heat exchangers); Commercial jet engines (LEAP, GE9X); Military engines (T56, F110); Additive manufacturing services via Colibrium Additive
Technological Advantage
Vertically integrated AM design-to-production capability with proprietary process know-how in metal PBF-LB and PBF-EB. The advantage is protected by a mix of patents and trade secrets, and reinforced by extensive certification data and NDE processes developed through NASA and FAA programs.
Patent position
GE Aviation filed 0 patent families from 2022 to 2024, down from 7 in 2019 to 2021: filings fell 100%, while tracked AM filings in the same patent offices fell 32%. AMPulse analysis
- Filing momentum
- 0 families filed 2022–2024, 7 in 2019–2021 (-100%); all tracked AM filings in the same offices -32%
- Filed in
- US 65%EP 25%CN 10%
- Named competitors, AM patent families
- RTX 90Rolls-Royce 107Safran 157
20 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Reduces engine part count by consolidating up to 20 components into a single 3D-printed part, lowering weight, extending service life, and shortening lead times from months to days, ultimately cutting total cost of ownership for operators.
How They Differentiate
GE Aviation operates the first high-volume AM production plant in aviation, delivering 21,000+ fuel nozzles; competitors primarily use AM at lower volume or rely on external suppliers. GE also integrates AM into multiple engine platforms (LEAP, GE9X, T56) with a scale and certification track record unmatched by rivals.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Aircraft OEMs (Boeing, Airbus), airlines, military services, and MRO providers
Industry Verticals
Aerospace & Defense; Commercial Aviation
Competitors
Pratt & Whitney (RTX); Rolls-Royce; Safran
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Delivered more than 21,000 3D-printed fuel nozzles for LEAP engines; GE Aerospace Q1 2025 profit grew 35% to $1.9B with 14% revenue growth and $9.6B in orders.
Major Milestones
2007: Acquired Morris Technologies to build internal AM capability; 2015: LEAP engine entered service with first production metal 3D-printed fuel nozzle; 2019: Opened Auburn, AL high-volume AM plant; 2022: GE Aviation renamed GE Aerospace
Notable Customers
CFM International (LEAP engine program); Boeing (GE9X engine); Airbus (LEAP engine); U.S. Department of Defense (T56 engine parts)
AM patents
AM-relevant patents linked to this company.
- Patents
- 21
- Granted
- 9
- Families
- 20
Leading domains: process (21), material (11), equipment (9)
Filings by year: 2020: 5 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 3
- Hybrid part manufacturing system and method11097454 · US
- Additively manufactured assemblies for electrical machines10826363 · US
- Method for manufacturing an integrated stator and housing for an electrical machine11177708 · US
- APPARATUS AND METHOD AND FOR COOLING AN ELECTRICAL MACHINE3944474 · EP
- Additively formed rotor component for electric machine and method of forming11075568 · US
Funding rounds
- GrantLead: NASA · Source: Crunchbase
- Grant£2MLead: Regional Growth Fund · Source: GE Aviation press release