Lockheed Martin
Nikon SLM Solutions NXG XII 3D printers at Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin has added another 16,000 square feet of additive manufacturing space to its site in Grand Prairie, Texas, and has described the technology as ‘a core element’ in its current and future designs.
The US defence and aerospace manufacturer says the facility includes large-format, multi-laser metal 3D printers from Nikon SLM Solutions, alongside heat treatment and inspection equipment, and leverages one of its existing machining hubs.
“We continue to invest in AM technology to provide value for our customers in a way that empowers our engineers to innovate and rapidly integrate new product designs and capabilities to the production floor,” said Tom Carrubba, vice president of production operations at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “This allows us to create affordable and modular designs that can simplify both high and low-volume production processes.”
As part of its 1LMX digital transformation program announced earlier this year, the company says it is implementing AM in the early phases of new product designs as a technical risk reduction tool, and for supply chain-risk reduction by using AM to replace and consolidate elements such as heat exchangers, brazements and castings.
“Using this state-of-the-art, large platform AM technology at Lockheed Martin enables us to rapidly iterate and manufacture all of our products, resulting in savings and design freedom for all of our customers,” said Brian Kaplun, a Lockheed Martin fellow. “AM lives in the digital world and this allows us to support our customers in a far more nimble and responsive fashion than if we were using traditional design and manufacturing methods.”
The technology was used for guidance housing and tail fin parts on Lockheed’s Mako hypersonic missile for a tenth of the cost and 10 times faster than conventional subtractive methods. It has also been used across new and legacy programs, including printed F-35 simulator cockpits and components on its GMLRS precision-strike rockets and missiles. The technology has also been deployed to reduce the number of parts within a GMLRS antenna assembly test unit, which led to reduced costs and months off Lockheed’s production schedule.
Lockheed Martin has already been using additive manufacturing for decades. In 2022, the company struck a partnership with Florida-based metal AM provider Sintavia - and a 3D printing supplier to Lockheed Martin - to expand the research of metal AM opportunities as an alternative to castings and forgings. The partnership followed the launch of the Biden administration's “AM Forward” initiative, a voluntary compact aimed at strengthening U.S. supply chains by supporting U.S-based suppliers’ adoption of additive manufacturing. Earlier this year, Lockheed Martin was also one of the lead investors in a 12.5 million USD seed at Firestorm Labs, a San Diego-based manufacturer of Unmanned Aerial Systems, which offers a semi-automated manufacturing cell encompassing a full 3D printing production workflow, which can be deployed remotely for on-demand manufacturing of UAS and spare parts.
