US Navy shipbuilder HII orders twelve-laser NXG 600E from Nikon SLM
Nikon SLM Solutions, a unit of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, has received an order from HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division for its first NXG 600E Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is reportedly the largest military shipbuilder in the United States and designs, builds, and refuels US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and submarines at NNS.
Expanding the use of large-format metal Additive Manufacturing to support US Navy surface and submarine shipbuilding programmes is a key component of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing’s goal of supporting the defence industrial base on US shores. Earlier this year, Nikon AM and the US Navy Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) programme announced a foundational partnership, also utilising an NXG 600E machine, to accelerate qualification, workforce development, and deployment of metal AM using copper nickel (CuNi) to support shipbuilding.
The NXG 600E is Nikon SLM Solutions’ large-volume, multi-laser PBF-LB Additive Manufacturing machine engineered for high-productivity, performance-critical components. It can produce parts up to 600 x 600 x 1,500 mm and uses twelve 1 KW lasers. The AM machine will be installed at Newport News Shipbuilding, reportedly making it the first US shipyard with this model.
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“This latest NXG 600E order underscores the strategic importance of metal Additive Manufacturing to US Navy shipbuilding programmes, and marks another milestone in Nikon AM’s holistic approach towards scaling the defence industrial base on U.S. shores,” stated Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing and chairman of the board, Nikon SLM Solutions. “We are proud to strengthen our relationship with HII and the Navy to deliver the AM capabilities that are imperative to national security.”
