Power turbines may be a mature business, but they are also a booming one. This year General Electric received record orders for jet engines, and because natural gas is currently cheap, worldwide demand is increasing for gas turbines used in power plants, says Jeffrey Immelt, GE’s chairman and CEO.

To compete, the company is introducing new products based on innovations such as improved composites for fan blades and resilient alloys that allow for high-temperature, efficient operation. But at least as important from a competitive perspective are advances in the technology used to make turbines, which can lower costs and make new designs possible.

At GE’s global research headquarters in Niskayuna, New York, researchers are working on a new machining tool that uses a combination of a cutting disk and an electrical arc. The tool cuts through high-strength alloys three times as fast as the conventional alternatives, and it reduces energy consumption by 25 percent, bringing down manufacturing costs. Because it uses less force than conventional machining, the technology also makes it possible to conceive of new designs that might otherwise break during the process.

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