General Electric has been using 3D printing for prototyping and production of end-use parts for some time now, and GE Oil & Gas has now expanded the use of additive manufacturing in their Japanese operations. At the Kariwa plant in Niigata Prefecture, the company is now using hybrid metal laser sintering 3D printers to create their Masoneilan control valves. Using a LUMEX Avance-25 metal 3D printer, manufactured by Matsuura Machinery Corp., additive and subtractive manufacturing methods can both be used. Read more about their use for end-use manufacture in the full article: http://3dprint.com/47485/3d-print-control-valve-ge/


Below is a photo of the LUMEX Avance-25: