GE Aerospace’s Services Technology Acceleration Center will open in September

GE Aerospace’s global network of service shops will soon have a new inspection process to improve the way they inspect metal parts, using the same technology scientists rely on to help museums and auction houses identify counterfeit works of art. It will be the first to be deployed through GE Aerospace’s new STAC facility, opening in September.

GE Aerospace, in collaboration with Bruker, a leading provider of analytical tools for materials characterization, has developed a new inspection process using a non-destructive open beam X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF) inspection device that can detect microstructural variations in metal parts.

In addition to improving the quality and detail of part inspections, this new inspection process is designed to improve our aviation customers’ cost of ownership by providing a clearer overview of airworthy repaired parts that can be returned to the field rather than completely replaced with new parts. This will help reduce supply chain constraints in the production of new parts, improving the overall turnaround time of our engine overhauls.

“We are excited to open our new STAC facility, which will serve as a key accelerator for scaling and deploying advanced inspection and repair processes to the market,” said Nicole Jenkins, Chief MRO Engineer, GE Aerospace. “We have already begun moving equipment into the facility and are preparing to launch our first inspection process that takes a page from the art world to improve the quality and speed of detecting chemical abnormalities in metal parts.”

Thomas Schuelein, president of Bruker’s Nano Analytics Division, commented: “We are excited to extend our most advanced XRF technology to the aerospace industry, setting a new standard in non-destructive chemical analysis techniques and can therefore help support the repair of aircraft parts. production quality. This first successful program under the joint technology development agreement with GE Aerospace underlines Bruker’s commitment to innovation, and we look forward to further breakthroughs in this sector.”