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Sciaky's Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing additive manufacturing solution.
Global manufacturing and services holding company Phillips Service Industries (PSI) has announced that it is on the hunt for a location for a new high-tech Additive Manufacturing facility.
The aim of this venture is to provide a centre that will produce large-scale parts for the aerospace and defence industries, while PSI is also looking at opportunities to establish Additive Manufacturing programmes with academic institutions that seek to advance the state of manufacturing technology in the US.
According to the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the global aerospace and defence manufacturing industry is worth $170 billion (£109.24 billion, €128.3 billion).
Currently, the company is considering Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, New York and American automotive centre Michigan as locations for the facility.
PSI has been developing its own additive manufacturing technology in the form of its Electron Beam Direct Manufacturing (EBDM) technology, which combines CAD, electron beam welding and layer additive manufacturing processes.
Sciaky - which is based in Illinois - has been pioneering the technology since 1998 and today EBDM remains the only large-scale, fully-programmable means of achieving near-net shape parts made using high-value metals such as titanium, tantalum and Inconel.
EBDM saves manufacturers time and money when used in place of traditional manufacturing techniques, as it reduces material costs and lead times, in addition to slashing machine time by as much as 80 per cent.
Last year, Vice-President of F-35 Program Integration and Business Development at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Stephen O'Bryan described EBDM as a "game-changer" for the defence and aerospace manufacturing industry.
PSI President and Chief Executive Officer Scott Phillips stated that a decision for selecting a location for the organisation's new Additive Manufacturing facility would be made before the end of the year.
Phillips remarked: "PSI is all about pushing the boundaries of technology. We see significant growth opportunities in the aerospace and defense markets, and we know that there are talented Americans out there that are looking for work, who would love to be part of the next big movement in manufacturing."
