GE Additive and its affiliates Concept Laser and Arcam AB have signed a memorandum of understanding with GKN PLC to collaborate on additive manufacturing (AM).

The agreement includes the provision of additive machines and services to GKN, allowing them to be a GE Additive Production Partner. GKN also becomes a nonexclusive preferred AM powder supplier to GE Additive and its affiliated companies.

“GE Additive and GKN both understand the transformative power that additive manufacturing will have in the aerospace and automotive industries,” said Mohammad Ehteshami, vice president and general manager of GE Additive. “Additive machines from Concept Laser and Arcam will bring tremendous value to this GKN relationship and we look forward to collaborating more closely in the future.”

GE Additive and its affiliated companies will become nonexclusive preferred suppliers of AM machines to GKN and its affiliates. GKN will become a GE Additive development and production partner for a range of powder bed and free form deposition technologies, collaborating with GE Additive on part development projects on powder bed machines to enable new market opportunities. GKN will become a nonexclusive preferred supplier of powder to GE Additive and GE’s industrial businesses and its engineering consulting team will assist GKN and its affiliates with the acceleration and industrialization of AM machines.

“We look forward to working with GE Additive on this revolutionary technology,” said Jos Sclater, head of strategy at GKN. “GKN has a strong history of producing and certifying AM parts and powder, and by working together, GKN and GE can accelerate future developments in additive manufacturing and meet the growing demand we’re seeing across a range of industries.”

GE Additive is part of General Electric, focused on AM with software-defined machines and solutions. It includes AM machine providers Concept Laser and Arcam EBM. GKN is an engineering group focused on automotive and aerospace components.