GKN Aerospace is planning to relocate its North America additive manufacturing (AM) center of excellence to the Lone Star Commerce Center in Fort Worth, Texas with a 100,000-square-foot facility. The new facility will initially house research and development of laser metal deposition with wire (LMD-w) additive manufacturing technology for large-scale titanium aerostructures.
Going ahead, in 2023 GKN Aerospace is planning to transfer existing equipment and personnel from Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility in Tennessee to the new site.
Shawn Black, GKN Aerospace’s President of Defense said: “We are very excited to bring our additive technology research to Fort Worth. With proximity to many of our major customers in Texas and across the US, this is the right place for GKN Aerospace. Along with partnership with local government, we look forward to expanding our titanium additive manufacturing capabilities and pushing the boundaries of this technology for our customers and the aerospace industry.”
GKN has plans to further renovate the facility with office space and equipment over the next two years depending on the grant funding from the City of Fort Worth. At full capacity, the facility will employ 100 people.
Robert Sturns, Director of Economic Development for the City of Fort Worth said: “Fort Worth is proud to welcome GKN Aerospace and excited by the cutting-edge R&D that it will bring to the region. This center of excellence builds on a strong cluster of Fort Worth-based firms who are innovating the future of aerospace and transportation manufacturing, and we look forward to the partnership that we are building with GKN Aerospace.”
GKN Aerospace believes that this move will strengthen its position as an additive technology leader with a larger facility and increased collaboration within the aerospace ecosystem.
GKN Aerospace expects to transform the facility into its fourth Global Technology Center to complement existing centers in Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK.
