Nikon to join GOTHAAM aluminium powder project
America Makes, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining’s (NCDMM), headquartered in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, have selected Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, based in California, as a partner for their Generation Of Technical-data for High-strength Aluminum Alloy Material (GOTHAAM) project.
The $5.5m project, funded by Office of the Under Secretary of War, Manufacturing Technology Office (OSW ManTech), named General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Poway, California as the group leader back in August.
GOTHAAM’s aim is to develop material allowables for a high-strength, 7075-T73-equivalent aluminium alloy across multiple classes of Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) Additive Manufacturing machines supporting scalable production across large-, medium- and small-format machines.
The project intends to deliver data for a corrosion-resistant, aerospace-grade alloy with defence and commercial applications.
Speaking in August, Additive Manufacturing Research Director at America Makes, John Martin, had said: “By delivering validated data and maturing LPBF capability, we’re giving U.S. manufacturers what they need to produce reliable components for critical defense systems.”
Dr Behrang Poorganji, Nikon AM VP of Technology, has since commented on this collaboration: “We are pleased to engage in another funded programme deeply rooted in a collaborative approach to accelerating AM qualification and certification. We are proud to leverage our expertise and large-format Nikon SLM Solutions L-PBF systems toward establishing the necessary qualification and verification infrastructure for these high-strength aluminium alloys to continuously deliver reliable and durable AM parts to support the defence industrial base.”
Nikon AM, led by General Atomics, will work alongside a team that includes Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Airbus Space & Defense + AP Works, MIMO Technik, Quadrus Corporation, Hadrian Additive, EOS America, Valimet, Toyal America, Equispheres, AMG Aluminum, Rio Tinto, Sunrise Metals, Nio Corp, Dyndrite, and Scot Forge.
