Oerlikon expands its US Additive Manufacturing business
February 9, 2017
Switzerland’s Oerlikon has announced the expansion of its global Additive Manufacturing business with a new state of the art R&D and production facility for additively manufactured advanced components in the Charlotte metro area in North Carolina, USA. Oerlikon plans to invest around $55 million in the facility and expects to create over 100 new jobs.
The Charlotte site will be fully operational in 2018. However, Oerlikon stated that it will begin its AM business activities in Charlotte at an interim facility in early 2017.
The investment in a new US facility follows the recent acquisition of citim, a metal AM design and production company located in Germany. The addition of the new site brings Oerlikon’s AM network to four locations globally. The Charlotte site complements citim’s sites in Barleben (Magdeburg), Germany, and Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and the new production facility for advanced metal powders for Additive Manufacturing and advanced coatings in Plymouth Township, Michigan, USA.
Oerlikon stated that the new facility will offer US industrial customers a single source for a full suite of integrated services for end-to-end advanced component manufacturing – from R&D, design, applications engineering and series production to post processing. The Charlotte region is home to a rapidly growing number of global industrial, aerospace, and automotive firms.
“Innovation is a strategic driver of growth at Oerlikon. We consistently work at strengthening our innovation power and staying at the forefront in developing new technologies in our fields. As we strategically transform to become a powerhouse in surface solutions and advanced materials, we are investing in high growth potential businesses such as Additive Manufacturing,” stated Dr Roland Fischer, CEO of the Oerlikon Group.
“Charlotte is an important step in our plans to grow our Additive Manufacturing business and our investment in key technology areas. The investment underlines our intention to become a leading independent global partner in the industrialisation of Additive Manufacturing. I would like to thank our economic development partners in North Carolina and the Charlotte region for their support in our investment,” added Fischer.
