Nikon SLM Solutions Partners with ATI and Bechtel Plant Machinery on 3D Printed Hypersonics

One of the world’s most demanding technical challenges is the creation of maneuverable hypersonic vehicles. The country that does so well will command the ultimate high ground. They will essentially be able to put a satellite, plane, or missile anywhere on the planet in just hours, and no one can credibly predict the path of these vehicles…or stop them. Hypersonics could usher in a new era of warfare, and a quiet space race is going on to manufacture credible hypersonics. Due to the cost and difficulty of machining the exotic materials needed to make hypersonics, and new properties that we can give these materials with additive, hypersonics are increasingly made through 3D printing. A lot of the large multi-laser printers are being used for hypersonics work, and this development is strategic to both China and the US.

Now, Nikon SLM Solutions will collaborate with ATI (Allegheny Technologies Incorporated) and Bechtel Plant Machinery, Inc. (BPMI) on hypersonics. BPMI is one of those companies where your dog would probably need a security clearance if you worked there. No foreign vacations at the drop of a hat for these guys, because they’re essential to the management of the US’s Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP). That is a key component of the nation’s nuclear deterrent, and is adjacent to some of the most secretive things the US does in radar, sonar, submarine propulsion, and the like. The company and its 1200 employees source, engineer, and maintain the nuclear power plants for the US Navy’s fleet of 11 nuclear-powered carriers and around 70 nuclear submarines. Furthermore, BPMI also handles spent nuclear fuel, and is in charge of growing the Nuclear Industrial Base and the Defense Industrial Base more broadly.

ATI is a materials business that makes titanium, nickel superalloys, and tungsten, as well as more exotic materials such as niobium. The company has purchased an NXG XII 600E system, which will be used with Inconel 625 for Navy propulsion, general DOD, and hypersonic work. This is a tidbit of information that is really an eye opener, because it was long supposed that LPBF was being used in marine propulsion for the US Navy, but not often publicly acknowledged. This could be a very important area going forward for advanced additive work in a newly acknowledged critical application. On hypersonics meanwhile, we know that there are probably going to be tungsten and Inconel parts.

Nikon SLM Solutions CEO Sam O’Leary said,

“In the dynamic landscape of additive manufacturing, Nikon SLM Solutions is taking a significant leap forward. This strategic development underscores our commitment to delivering American-made ingenuity, superior technology, and empowering the defense and aerospace sectors with cutting-edge additive manufacturing capabilities.”

Nathan Weiderspahn, BPMI Executive Manager, Industrial Base Management, stated,

“The NXG 600E’s expansive build volume and sophisticated support structure capabilities align seamlessly with U.S. Navy propulsion requirements. Nikon SLM Solutions’ cutting-edge additive manufacturing technology is set to play a pivotal role in advancing the U.S. Navy’s operational readiness, contributing to the maintenance and enhancement of our nation’s fleet.”

The combination of the NXG 600E with the experience of ATI and BPMI could make for some cutting-edge new capabilities. The obvious applications are in pump and valve components, like we’ve seen before with BPMI using DED technology. Or it could be components like the impeller parts BPMI made with Curtiss Wright and Velo3D; Velo also worked on steel propulsion components with BPMI as well. In 2023, ATI won a contract to build a 3D printing facility for BPMI in Fort. Lauderdale, Florida, and Sintavia also collaborated with BPMI on submarine work. So BPMI is clearly stepping up its additive investments and capabilities. Beyond pumps and impellers though, we would be very curious to see if ship propellers could be made with additive. Quickly reengineering and changing propellors could be highly beneficial. It would also be notable if the turbines may benefit from additively manufactured parts as well.

This success really highlights how well Nikon SLM is doing with its NXG system, and in targeting the US government as a key customer. Through manufacturing the systems in the US and supporting them extensively, the Nikon team has bet big on the US generally, and on the US government as a customer specifically. If Nikon SLM systems are used in emerging submarine components, repair, and new builds as well as hypersonics, then these parts could be in use for decades.