Nikon Advanced Manufacturing Inc. has announced that the U.S. Navy Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) Program will fund the installation of an ultra-large format Nikon SLM Solutions’ NXG 600E Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) metal additive manufacturing machine at the Nikon AM Technology Center in Long Beach, California, the first of its kind.
The facility specializes in metal additive manufacturing, including hypersonics, naval, defense, aviation, and space industry applications. The NXG machine will be operated by Nikon AM Synergy Inc., Nikon’s engineering and services company. The process will qualify additive manufacturing materials, develop technical data in high-productivity multi-laser additive manufacturing machines, produce critical components, and expand additive manufacturing capabilities to support U.S. Navy shipbuilding and repair.
“Nikon AM is proud of its partnership supporting the U.S. Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base at our AM Technology Center in Long Beach,” stated Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO of Nikon AM. “We are building upon Nikon’s long-enduring reputation and advanced manufacturing expertise and have invested heavily to enable and scale the Defense Industrial Base on U.S. shores. We will continue to execute our holistic approach to deliver the advanced manufacturing capabilities that are crucial to the United States and allied partners.”
The MIB Program seeks to drive the revitalization of U.S. Navy shipbuilding through strategic investments in supply chains, workforce development, and advanced manufacturing initiatives that leverage additive manufacturing and related resources to invest, prove, and scale technologies in its fleet.
