Collins Aerospace opens $14M Additive Manufacturing centre expansion
July 21, 2023
Collins Aerospace, an RTX business headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, has celebrated the opening of a $14 million expansion of its Additive Manufacturing centre in West Des Moines, Iowa. The new facility provides space to house several new state-of-the-art metal Additive Manufacturing machines, with the first installed machine having eight times the build volume of the facility’s previous systems, significantly increasing the centre’s Additive Manufacturing capabilities.
“From supporting the backlog in commercial aircraft to enabling future platforms, and reducing carbon emissions to providing supply chain relief, Additive Manufacturing is poised to play an integral role in the future of the aerospace and defence industry,” shared Renee Begley, West Des Moines site lead for Collins Aerospace. “Additive Manufacturing has the potential to help us reduce weight, complexity, lead time and cost in the parts we supply, and this expansion represents an investment in our business to help deliver those benefits to our customers.”
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The new machines at the Collins’ West Des Moines facility allow the site to explore additive production of these components, building on the multiple land-based turbine components it already has in production. Furthermore, this facility is one of only eight in the United States to have obtained the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) certification for Additive Manufacturing.
“Since 1933 when Collins was founded in Cedar Rapids, Iowa has been proud to be a home to this global manufacturing powerhouse,” stated Governor Kim Reynolds. “Today’s expansion in West Des Moines is a testament to the commitment Collins Aerospace has made to our state, and we’re equally committed to providing the strong economic environment that will fuel its innovation here for decades more to come.”
Additive Manufacturing is said to be a critical focus area for Collins. The business maintains a global network of additive production centres, located in Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Singapore, along with an AM research centre in Connecticut.
