Beehive Industries has made a multi-unit purchase of NXG 600E metal additive manufacturing (AM) systems from Nikon SLM Solutions.
One NXG 600E will be dedicated to Constellium’s Aheadd CP1 aluminium, and the second will be dedicated to titanium Ti-64 (Ti-6Al-4V).
The investment will support Beehive's delivery of additively manufactured components to the aerospace and defence sectors, and builds out a growing metal AM capability. Last month, the company made a $50m investment in EOS metal additive manufacturing technology, with 30 machines set to be installed.
The NXG 600E system is the largest machine manufactured by Nikon SLM Solutions and features a build envelope of 600 x 600 x 1500 mm, as well as 12 1kW lasers. This adoption of Nikon SLM's large-format metal additive manufacturing technology will, the companies say, open up a range of applications, including whole vehicle bodies and large substructures for satellites.
Beehive describes this latest investment as 'self-funded' and says it will equip the company with an 'elite' and 'currently limited' capability in the United States.
“There is a heavy overlap between the customers who rely on Beehive’s propulsion solutions and those who require advanced aerospace printed solutions,” said Darius Ehteshami, Chief Operations and Finance Officer at Beehive Industries. “By investing proactively in these machines, Beehive is uniquely positioned to provide aerostructures and parts that enable our customers to fly higher and fly faster. This is Beehive doubling down on our history of large format additive manufacturing, supporting our customers in both the A&D area and in space.”
“Manufacturers supporting today’s defence programs require production technology that can scale quickly and reliably,” said Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO and General Manager of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. “Beehive Industries has built an impressive business around advanced propulsion and aerospace manufacturing, and we’re proud to support their continued growth with the NXG 600E platform. Our companies are deeply committed to enabling and scaling the defence industrial base, and this represents a key step in delivering the advanced manufacturing capabilities that are crucial to the United States and our allied partners.”
“This investment marks the natural evolution of our company, seamlessly carrying our legacy of large-format expertise forward into the next generation of manufacturing for our external parts customers across the space, defence, and aerostructures sectors,” offered Jonaaron Jones, President of Additive Parts Sales at Beehive Industries.
