Concept Laser and LAUAK sign Letter of Intent for additive manufacturing collaboration

PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Concept Laser, a GE Additive company based in Germany, and LAUAK Group,
an aeronautical company based in France, have signed a Letter of Intent
(LOI) to launch an alliance that will advance additive manufacturing in
the aerospace industry. The agreement was signed at the Paris Air Show.

LAUAK will invest in Concept Laser additive machines as a reference
customer for Concept Laser technology. Also, Concept Laser will work
closely with LAUAK to implement additive processes and design new
products.

“LAUAK sees the potential of additive manufacturing and I’m delighted
they’ve chosen Concept Laser equipment to help the company on its
journey,” said Frank Herzog, CEO of Concept Laser. “We will support them
with equipment, processes, and people to allow them to meet their
objectives.”

Concept Laser will support LAUAK during the implementation phase of the
equipment into its manufacturing process. LAUAK will also present the
Concept Laser machine to reference customers in its showroom, including
the presentation of test objects for demonstration purposes. Concept
Laser and LAUAK will collaborate to redesign components from the LAUAK
portfolio.

Mikel Charritton, CEO of LAUAK said: “We see the huge potential in
additive manufacturing and we want to use this technology to complete
and improve our current manufacturing processes, as well as the
manufacture of new components for the aviation industry.”

Additive manufacturing (also called 3D printing) involves taking digital
designs from computer aided design (CAD) software, and building them on
an additive machine, layer by layer from metal powder. Additive
components are typically lighter, more durable and more efficient than
traditional casting and forged parts because they can be made as one
piece, requiring less welds, joints and assembly. Because additive parts
are essentially “grown” from the ground up, they generate far less waste
material. Freed of traditional manufacturing restrictions, additive
manufacturing dramatically expands the design possibilities for
engineers.

About Concept Laser

Concept Laser is one of the world’s leading providers of machine
technology for the 3D printing of metal components. The patented
LaserCUSING process – powder-bed-based laser melting of metals opens up
new freedoms when it comes to designing parts and systems. Concept Laser
currently has the largest laser powder-bed additive machine on the
market, the X LINE 2000R. In December 2016, GE acquired a 75% stake in
Concept Laser, making it a GE Additive company. GE Additive also holds
76% of shares in Arcam AB, which includes electron-beam additive machine
provider ArcamBM, additive material provider AP&C, and DTI, an additive
service provider to the medical industry. As a notable user of additive
technologies, GE recognizes the value and potential it brings to modern
design and manufacturing. www.geadditive.com

About Lauak

LAUAK is a manufacturer of aircraft parts and structures, holding a Part
21 subpart G approval. The company was founded in 1975 and is today one
of the major direct subcontractors for detail parts, sub-assemblies and
assemblies for the aerospace industry. Key customers are aircraft
manufacturers such as Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Embraer and several
major suppliers, including Aernnova, Daher Socata, Liebherr, and Safran.
LAUAK currently employs 1,200 people located across five sites. Its
know-how is linked to both metal and composites and its industrial
performance is renowned among its key customers.

http://www.groupe-lauak.com/

Contacts

Rick Kennedy, Mgr.
Media Relations
GE
Cincinnati, Ohio
[email protected]
Cell:
513.607.0609