Collins Aerospace purchases second NXG XII 600 from Nikon SLM Solutions
February 15, 2024
Nikon SLM Solutions AG, headquartered in Lübeck, Germany, has announced that Collins Aerospace, an RTX business headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, has purchased a second NXG XII 600 Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machine for its facility in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Collins’ West Des Moines facility designs and produces engine components for commercial and military aircraft. In 2023, the company celebrated the opening of a $14 million expansion of its Additive Manufacturing centre. The production-ready facility is one of nine in the US to receive the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) certification for Additive Manufacturing.
The new large-format NXG XII 600 machine will allow Collins to increase its AM production capacity at the site and expand the facility’s existing material capabilities to better serve its customers.
Sam O’Leary, CEO of Nikon SLM Solutions stated, “With the addition of Collins’ second NXG XII 600 printer, we’re fuelling their mission to revolutionise aerospace manufacturing. This not only empowers the industry as a whole but underscores our commitment to customer-driven innovation.”
The NXG XII 600 has a build envelope of 600 x 600 x 600 mm allowing for the production of large-scale components. It is equipped with twelve 1000 W lasers, which the company claims makes it up to twenty times faster than a single-laser system.
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