Collins Aerospace has opened a new 9,000-square-foot addition to its additive manufacturing centre in West Des Moines, USA, which is a world leader in designing and producing engine components for commercial and military aircraft.
The facility is among the eight in the US to receive the National Aerospace and Defence Contractors Accreditation Programme (NADCAP) certification for additive manufacturing.
Renee Begley, Site Lead, West Des Moines, Collins Aerospace, said, 'From supporting the backlog in commercial aircraft to enabling future platforms, and reducing carbon emissions to providing supply chain relief, additive manufacturing is poised to play an integral role in the future of the aerospace and defense industry. Additive manufacturing has the potential to help us reduce weight, complexity, lead time and cost in the parts we supply, and this expansion represents an investment in our business to help deliver those benefits to our customers.'
The US$14 million expansion provides space for the site to house several new state-of-the-art 3D metal printers. The first printer installed has eight times the build volume of the facility's existing printers, significantly increasing the centre's additive manufacturing capabilities.
Collins maintains a global network of additive production centres in Iowa, Minnesota, and Singapore and an additive research centre in Connecticut.
RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defence company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, and Collins Aerospace is a business of RTX.