Following the purchase of 30 additional EOS M4 ONYX additive manufacturing systems last month, Beehive Industries has announced the acquisition of assets from two machine shops.
The U.S. manufacturer of advanced propulsion systems for uncrewed aerial defense applications, namely its flagship, 3D printing-enabled, Frenzy 8 engine, says the investment in Greater Cincinnati-based Able Tool Corporation and its subsidiary, Planet Products Corporation, will provide immediate, production-ready machining capability. Combined with its recent $50m investment in EOS's metal printers, which doubles its AM capability, the company says it is building the manufacturing system required to produce 8,000+ engines annually.
"This is a move for scale," said Darius Ehteshami, Chief Operations and Finance Officer at Beehive Industries. "Frenzy is entering full-rate production, and our customers need engines now. This acquisition gives us immediate precision machining capability, proven talent, and the operational experience to scale with confidence, at the speed the modern warfighter demands."
Beehive says it is also establishing a new operating model with two dedicated Centers of Excellence including a Production Machining COE in Greater Cincinnati, Ohio as a hub for high-volume machining, and a Production Additive Manufacturing COE in Knoxville, Tennessee supporting multiple metal printing systems and post-processing.
Paul Hayes, President and Co-Owner of Able Tool and Planet Products, commented, "We’ve spent decades establishing a precision machining footprint supporting American manufacturing. Joining Beehive allows that experience to have even greater impact: a mission to power American defense while scaling at a level we couldn’t achieve alone."
Dan Hayes, Co-Founder of Able Tool and Co-Owner of Able Tool and Planet Products, added, "What Beehive is doing, bringing advanced manufacturing and propulsion together at scale, is the future. This was the right next step for our people, our capabilities, and the legacy we’ve built."
