Nikon SLM Solutions has sold its 900th metal additive manufacturing machine, with Safran set to install an NXG XII 600 system.
Safran will utilise the 12-laser NXG XII 600 metal 3D printing solution at its Safran Additive Manufacturing Campus (SAMC). The company says the machine will be ‘essential’ to the serial production of qualified parts tailored to current and future aircraft engine programmes.
Described as a ‘strategic investment’, Safran has already identified a ‘complex aluminium part conceptualised to integrate next generation aircraft engine demonstrator’ that will lean on the capabilities of the NXG XII 600. Safran will combine the NXG XII 600 system with AlSi7Mg0.6 – F357 and is working alongside Nikon SLM Solutions to develop a protocol to ensure the machine meets and upholds the aircraft equipment manufacturer’s specifications. This collaborative effort, the companies suggest, also holds the potential to establish new benchmarks for the aerospace industry.
“This first NXG XII 600 is a pivotal asset in Safran’s pursuit towards decarbonised aviation, underlining our ambition to contribute to reach carbon neutrality by 2035,” commented François-Xavier-Foubert, General Manager of Safran Additive Manufacturing Campus.
“This delivery marks not just a transaction, but a testament to our shared vision for the future of additive manufacturing,” added Nikon SLM Solutions CEO Sam O’Leary. “With the NXG XII 600, we're enabling Safran to harness record production capabilities, paving the way for innovative advancements in aviation.”
Safran is the latest of several manufacturers to invest in the NXG XII 600 machine since its launch in November 2020, with GKN Aerospace, Divergent Technologies, MAN Energy Solutions, and Sintavia among those to have invested in the metal AM platform.
