Praxair, GE Aviation Form Venture to Produce Jet Engine Coatings

GE Aviation is forming a joint venture with Praxair Surface Technologies Inc. to develop and produce specialty coatings for current and future turbofan jet engines developed by GE and its joint-venture subsidiary, CFM International.

Robert Brooks

Oct. 24, 2016

Recently GE Aviation completed the initial ground testing of the first full GE9X development engine which it describes as ldquothe world39s largest commercial aircraft enginerdquo Itrsquos destined to power Boeing39s forthcoming 777X widebody aircraft Certification testing for the GE9X program will begin in 2017 followed by flighttesting on a flying test bed Engine certification is expected in 2018 — Recently GE Aviation completed the initial ground testing of the first full GE9X development engine, which it describes as “the world's largest commercial aircraft engine.” It’s destined to power Boeing's forthcoming 777X wide-body aircraft. Certification testing for the GE9X program will begin in 2017, followed by flight-testing on a flying test bed. Engine certification is expected in 2018.

GE Aviation (General Electric IW500/6) is forming a joint venture with Praxair Surface Technologies Inc. to develop and produce specialty coatings for current and future turbofan jet engines developed by GE and its joint-venture subsidiary, CFM International. Pierre Lüthi, president of Praxair, promised that PG Technologies LLC (as the joint venture is named) would “take the leadership role in the next generation of coating technology applications, and will invest in new coating production capacity to meet the needs of the burgeoning aviation sector.”

The coatings will be custom-developed for the current and future LEAP engines, a CFM International engine produced by GE Aviation for the Airbus A320neo and 737 MAX aircraft; and the GE9X engine, which recently completed its first ground tests. It is destined to power the Boeing 777 wide-body jets.

GE Aviation is managing a multi-year backlog of engine orders related to the production requirements of Airbus and Boeing, in particular for the narrow-body A320 and 737 programs.

American Machinist is an IndustryWeek companion site within Penton's Manufacturing & Supply Chain Group.

About the Author

Robert Brooks

Content Director

Robert Brooks has been a business-to-business reporter, writer, editor, and columnist for more than 20 years, specializing in the primary metal and basic manufacturing industries. His work has covered a wide range of topics, including process technology, resource development, material selection, product design, workforce development, and industrial market strategies, among others. Currently, he specializes in subjects related to metal component and product design, development, and manufacturing — including castings, forgings, machined parts, and fabrications.

Brooks is a graduate of Kenyon College (B.A. English, Political Science) and Emory University (M.A. English.)