GE Additive Metal Additive Manufacturing

GE Additive M2 Series

$500,000 - $800,000 Updated 2026-03-17

Key Specifications

Build Volume

250 x 250 x 350 mm

Technology

Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)

Number of Lasers

2 x 400 W Yb-fiber laser

Layer Thickness

20 – 80 µm

Scan Speed

Up to 7,000 mm/s per laser

Beam Spot Diameter

50 – 500 µm (variable)

Overview

The GE Additive M2 Series is a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) metal additive manufacturing system originating from the Concept Laser M2 Cusing platform, which GE acquired when it purchased Concept Laser GmbH in 2016. Now developed and sold under the GE Additive brand, the M2 Series represents GE's production-tier LPBF offering — a dual-laser system capable of processing a broad range of engineering metals including tool steels, stainless steels, nickel alloys, aluminum alloys, titanium alloys, and cobalt-chrome. The M2 is designed for industrial production environments rather than prototyping, with a build envelope and throughput appropriate for serial part manufacturing.

The M2 Series uses two 400 W ytterbium fiber lasers operating simultaneously across the build plane, enabling higher productivity than single-laser systems while maintaining the fine feature resolution and surface quality associated with LPBF. GE Additive's proprietary laser scan strategy distributes work between the two lasers to minimize thermal interactions and maintain consistent melt pool conditions across the entire 250 x 250 mm build area. Layer thickness options range from 20 to 80 µm depending on the material and required surface finish/feature resolution trade-off.

A key distinguishing feature of the M2 Series in its GE Additive generation is the emphasis on process monitoring and closed-loop quality assurance. GE's Meltpool Monitoring (MPM) system captures real-time thermal emission data from the melt pool during each layer, generating a voxel-level process quality map that can be reviewed post-build for anomaly detection. This capability is critical for regulated industries (aerospace, medical) where part qualification requires documented evidence of process stability throughout the build.

The M2 Series competes directly with EOS M290, SLM Solutions SLM280, and Trumpf TruPrint 2000 in the mid-size dual-laser LPBF segment. GE Additive's differentiator is its integration with GE's broader aerospace qualification ecosystem and its process monitoring software suite, which is more mature than many competitors. The platform supports AM part qualification under AS9100, NADCAP, and medical device quality frameworks.

Full Specifications

Parameter	Value
Build Volume	250 x 250 x 350 mm
Technology	Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF)
Number Of Lasers	2 x 400 W Yb-fiber laser
Layer Thickness	20 – 80 µm
Scan Speed	Up to 7,000 mm/s per laser
Beam Spot Diameter	50 – 500 µm (variable)
Inert Atmosphere	Argon or nitrogen recirculation
Compatible Materials	Tool steel, stainless steel, Alloy 718, Ti-6Al-4V, AlSi10Mg, CoCrMo, copper alloys
Surface Roughness (As-Built)	Ra 4–12 µm (material/orientation dependent)
Positioning Accuracy	±0.05 mm
Machine Footprint	~2.2 x 1.1 m
Power Requirement	32 kVA
Tish53	GFW655SSVWW

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

Dual 400 W laser system provides substantially higher build throughput than single-laser LPBF systems for production volumes
Broadest material compatibility in GE Additive's portfolio — aluminum, titanium, nickel, steel, cobalt-chrome all supported with qualified parameters
Meltpool Monitoring (MPM) system provides voxel-level in-process quality data for aerospace and medical part qualification
As-built surface roughness (Ra 4–12 µm) significantly better than EBM, reducing post-machining requirements for functional surfaces
GE Additive's aerospace qualification ecosystem and material specifications (AMS, NADCAP, AS9100) simplify production part approval

Limitations

Dual-laser scan strategy requires careful calibration to avoid thermal interaction artifacts at laser boundary zones within the build volume
Higher residual stress in as-built parts compared to EBM requires stress relief heat treatment before removal from build plate for most applications
250 x 250 mm build footprint is smaller than some competitors (EOS M400, SLM Solutions SLM500) limiting part size and batch count per build

Best For

Aerospace manufacturers producing serial batches of aluminum, titanium, and nickel alloy structural components requiring documented process quality assurance Medical device OEMs producing spinal, dental, and orthopedic implants in CoCrMo and Ti-6Al-4V with regulatory traceability requirements Tooling and mold makers producing conformal cooling inserts in tool steel (H13, 1.2344) where laser PBF's fine resolution enables complex cooling geometry Defense and space contractors producing high-value nickel and titanium components in small-to-medium series quantities with full process documentation

Frequently Asked Questions

01 What is the relationship between the M2 Series and the original Concept Laser M2 Cusing?

GE acquired Concept Laser GmbH in late 2016 and integrated its product line into the GE Additive brand. The M2 Series is the evolved successor to the Concept Laser M2 Cusing, with GE Additive's process monitoring software, updated laser systems, and integration with GE's quality and materials engineering infrastructure. The core LPBF platform and build volume are similar to the original M2 Cusing.

02 How does GE Additive's Meltpool Monitoring (MPM) work?

MPM uses a photodetector integrated into the laser scan head to capture thermal emission intensity from the melt pool during each scan vector. The data is compiled layer by layer into a 3D voxel map of melt pool energy, which correlates with process anomalies such as porosity, keyholing, or lack-of-fusion defects. The voxel map can be compared against a reference 'golden part' dataset to flag deviations for post-build inspection prioritization.

03 What materials are best suited to the M2 Series?

The M2 Series has GE Additive-qualified parameters for Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-4V ELI (aerospace and medical), Alloy 718 and IN625 (nickel superalloys), AlSi10Mg and Scalmalloy (aluminum), 316L and 17-4PH (stainless steel), CoCrMo (medical and dental), and H13 / 1.2344 tool steel (tooling). Copper and precious metal parameters are available for research applications.

04 How does the M2 Series compare to the EOS M290?

The EOS M290 is a single-laser 400 W LPBF system with a 250 x 250 x 325 mm build volume — a direct competitor in size class. The M2 Series' main advantage is its dual-laser configuration for higher throughput and GE Additive's more mature aerospace qualification ecosystem. EOS's advantage is a larger installed base, broader third-party material parameter ecosystem, and stronger software (EOSPRINT) with more community support. Both are strong choices for aerospace and medical production.

05 Is the M2 Series suitable for reactive metal powders like titanium?

Yes. The M2 Series operates under a continuously recirculating argon atmosphere with oxygen levels maintained below 0.1% (typically < 0.05%) throughout the build, making it suitable for reactive metals including titanium alloys. The inert gas recirculation system also removes metal fume and spatter to maintain consistent beam transmission and atmosphere quality during long builds.