Another SLM at the Collins Aerospace facility

In February 2022, TCT Magazine reported that Collins Aerospace purchased one NXG XII 600 machine from SLM Solutions. On July 21, 2023, Collins boasted that it was expanding its facility in West Des Moines, Iowa, USA, but without further details. On February 13 this year, Nikon SLM Solutions published information that it would deliver a second NXG XII 600 printer to the same Collins facility. There’s a lot of information here, so let’s go through it one by one.

Nikon SLM Solutions is well-known in the industry as SLM Solutions, a German manufacturer of metal printers. In fact, one of the leaders in its segment. At the end of 2022, the Japanese Nikon bought 100% of SLM shares and thus Nikon SLM Solutions was created. Interestingly, SLM was originally supposed to land in the hands of the American GE.

Collins Aerospace is part of the world’s largest arms company, RTX, which also includes brands such as Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. The Collins plant in West Des Moines designs and produces engine components for civil and military aircraft, helicopters and helicopters.

The expansion of the plant, worth $14 million, concerns both increasing the area and expanding the machinery, including the addition of a second NXG XII 600 machine. This is not a small device, as it contains as many as 12 lasers and a working area of 600mm x 600mm x 600mm. According to the manufacturer, this is a fully production system and it seems that Collins likes it very much since they have already purchased a second one. It is also worth adding that the mentioned plant is one of only eight that has received certification allowing the production of components in additive technology for the military, issued as part of the NADCAP accreditation program.

Source: www.rtx.com, www.slm-solutions.com, via tctmagazine.com