Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) was recently awarded a $5.2 million U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) contract that involves building the world’s largest additive manufacturing (AM) machine, the NXG XIIE. The project intends to overcome the limits of current AM (3D) equipment to build longer parts for critical defense applications.
“We are excited to play a role in this ground-breaking AM advancement,” said Edward J. Sheehan, Jr., CTC President and CEO. “The technical work we are performing for this project includes elements of CTC’s full-service portfolio of AM capabilities including design, testing, post-processing, machining, and qualification.”
CTC is working with subcontractor SLM Solutions NA, Inc. (U.S. office) to build this industrial metal 3D printer/machine with an extended 1.5-meter build envelope in the Z-axis. The NXG XIIE is the extended version of the NXG XII 600 which was first presented in November 2020 and features 12-laser manufacturing for large part production up to 20X times faster.
Manufacturing on Demand
“Partnering with CTC, a premier research and development company, will help us achieve the goal to create a new AM capability,” said Sam O’Leary, SLM Solutions CEO. “We look forward to collaborating on an AM machine that will work much faster than existing equipment and feature the largest build envelope in the industry by far.”
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization. CTC collaborates with its technology transition affiliate, Enterprise Ventures Corporation, to provide transformative, full lifecycle solutions through research, development, test, and evaluation work. To best serve our clients’ needs, we offer the complete ability to fully design, develop, test, prototype and build. We deliver robust, technical, and innovative solutions that safeguard our national security, retain U.S. technological advantage and ensure the primacy of American manufacturing.
SLM Solutions is a global provider of integrated metal additive manufacturing solutions and is home to the world’s fastest metal additive manufacturing machines boasting up to 12 lasers and enabling build rates up to 1000ccm/h. SLM Solutions is a publicly traded company headquartered in Germany, with offices in Canada, China, France, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United States.
You might also like:
3D printing drones, AKA Aerial-AM, developed by researchers: 3D printing is gaining momentum in the construction industry. Both on-site and in the factory, static and mobile robots print materials for use in construction projects, such as steel and concrete structures. This new approach uses flying robots, known as drones, that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps.
* This article is reprinted from 3D Printing Media Network. If you are involved in infringement, please contact us to delete it.
Author: 3D Printing Media Network
Leave A Comment