Divergent Technologies has signed an availability-based service level agreement (SLA) with SLM Solutions that covers six NXG XII 600 metal 3D printing machines.
At the end of this year, all six SLM NXG XII 600s will have been installed to support the series production demands of the Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS).
DAPS - Divergent’s end-to-end production system for design, manufacturing and assembly - incorporates additive manufacturing with the aim of “unleashing” innovation in the automotive industry. The company aims to make vehicles lighter, more energy efficient and less capital intensive to produce.
In recent years, the laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) based AM industry has seen a shift from research activities and production of single parts towards a serial production environment. The new SLA from SLM Solutions is based on the secured technical availability of the NXG XII 600 machines, as well as the residual machine portfolio.
Kevin Czinger, Founder and CEO of Divergent, said: “After years of intensive joint development that made series production a reality, we have now secured the production output commitment for our fleet of NXG XII 600 by signing this Service Level Agreement.”
Gerhard Bierleutgeb, Chief Operating Officer of SLM Solutions, added: “The NXG XII 600 is designed to produce serial production for highly complex applications as well as for printing large parts. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to provide our customer base a white-glove service commitment to allow them to facilitate the machine according to their need. No idle printers here.”
Aston Martin
SLM says that the NXG XII 600 is ideal for industrial serial production of complex components. It contains twelve 1000W lasers and a large build envelope of 600 x 600 x 600 mm. This enables production of large-scale components that were previously unable to be manufactured with other SLM systems.
After the partnership with SLM Solutions began in 2017, Divergent Technologies had made use of the SLM 125, 280, 500 and 800 systems before investing big in the NXG XII 600 model.
Divergent recently developed a 3D printed component for Aston Martin's DBR22 V-12 engined two-seater coach-built design concept. This made Aston Martin the first publicly-named automotive brand to receive 3D printed components from the company.
