Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com April 25, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 3 GKN seizes on CT mfg. technology to build markets By Gregory Seay gseay@HartfordBusiness.com N ewington aeroparts maker GKN Aero- space Newington LLC, whose prede- cessor reaped millions in state assis- tance to expand in Connecticut, is eagerly planning its next technology leap. Senior officers overseeing two of three Connecticut production outposts for Britain's GKN Aerospace Services say they are working closely with East Hartford's Connecticut Cen- ter for Advanced Technology to deploy additive manufacturing techniques into the production of metallic jet-engine structures at GKN's Louis Road campus. GKN also has aeroparts-produc- tion facilities in Cromwell and Manchester. GKN-Newington currently machines its pri- mary product — turbine-fan casings — from billet aluminum and titanium supplied to jet- engine builders Pratt & Whitney, General Elec- tric, and Britain's Rolls-Royce PLC. The savings alone from curbing metal waste would gener- ate tremendous financial and energy savings for airframe builders such as Airbus and Boeing, and their airline customers, GKN officials said. "It's a huge competitive advantage,'' GKN Aerospace Sales Director Bruce Fiedorowicz said, "because it would save an enormous amount of input weight, where we would build up features rather than cut away.'' GKN already uses additive manufacturing in its Swedish plant to fashion a structural part for a Rolls-Royce engine that propels the Airbus A380 widebody jetliner. But what GKN seeks from CCAT, said Mar- tin Thorden, who is vice president and general manager in charge of two of GKN's Newington and Manchester plants and one in New Hamp- shire, is the ability to apply additive technology to producing a wide range of parts, not just one. GKN and CCAT also are partnering to refine a process for machining aeroparts from lightweight composites, such as carbon fiber, used increasingly in the newest genera- tion of fuel-efficient aircraft, Thorden said. Implementation of both technologies into GKN is still about two years away, he said, but additive manufacturing could prove "a game changer'' for GKN, Thorden "I'm very confident that they will be able to deliver," Thorden said. Competitive advantage Development of additive and composite- machining technologies, and incorporating them into GKN's Newington operations, sends a clear message that Connecticut's manufacturing sector, and the investment in new technology to support it, is alive and well, Fiedorowicz said. "It just reinforces our position of being the predominant aerospace cluster,'' he said. That was the message that Fiedorowicz and Thorden recently relayed to U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy during one of his ongoing 860.871.1111 Toll Free: 800.741.6367 nemsi.com License #'s: E1-104939 • S1-302974 • P1-203519 • F1-10498 • SM1-192 • MC-1134 MECHANICAL • ELECTRICAL • PLUMBING • SHEET METAL • BUILDING AUTOMATION • FACILITIES SERVICES SERVICE SOLUTIONS…ONE SOURCE The company that builds and installs the critical systems in virtually every type of facility is the same company you can rely on to maintain them. For 50 years, our clients have trusted us to deliver end-to-end facilities solutions, so they can focus on their core business. We are experts in: Facilities Services Preventive Maintenance Programs Onsite Operations & Maintenance 196 6-2016 196 6-2016 Continued P H O T O S | M A R K W Y L E N C Z E K (Clockwise from left) A fan-case ring for a General Electric jet engine; a ring for Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan, both machined from metal billets at GKN Aerospace Newington LLC; Connecticut U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy with GKN fan- case chief engineer Andreas Andersson, foreground. In background, Central Connecticut State University engineering-intern Gunner McIntyre. U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy with Martin Thorden, vice president/general manager, GKN Aerospace Newington LLC.

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