WASHINGTON—NASA’s new Vertical Assembly Center, a 170-foot-high machine that will be used to assemble elements of the agency’s Space Launch System, is ready to weld parts for the rocket that will send humans to an asteroid and Mars.
MOBILE, AL—Airbus is hiring the latest wave of quality inspectors for its assembly plant under construction here. The hourly pay for these positions ranges from $20 to $23.50 based on skills, education and experience.
Regardless of its size, an airplane part needs to be monolithic, with minimal dimensional variation. Such parts ensure better control of the aircraft’s final weight.
EVENDALE, OH—GE is utilizing a next-generation carbon fiber composite for the fan blades that will debut in the GE9X jet engine, which will drive Boeing’s upcoming 777X passenger aircraft.
LAFAYETTE, LA—Bell Helicopter has begun constructing a new $26.3 million assembly plant here to make the company’s new line of Short Light Single helicopters.
FAIRFIELD, CT—Scientists at GE are experimenting with a technology, called Direct Write, that uses special “inks” to print miniature sensors directly inside jet engines, gas turbines and other hot, harsh and hard-to-reach places.
LOWELL, MA—Raytheon Co. and the University of Massachusetts Lowell will establish a $3 million joint research facility here dedicated to future technologies for radar and communication systems.