Nikon Advanced Manufacturing (Nikon AM) today announced a contract with the Department of War (DOW), as part of its Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment program, to provide customized additive manufacturing (AM) systems targeted for production of Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) mid-bodies, and other similar potential applications.
This foundational contract, awarded under the Cornerstone Other Transaction Authority (COTA), DOW’s vehicle for rapidly funding highly strategic initiatives for the defense industrial base and supply chains, includes the delivery of multiple units of specially developed two-meter z-height Nikon SLM Solutions laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) additive manufacturing systems, which are based on the flagship large-format Nikon SLM Solutions NXG-E platform. The program will be executed at the Nikon AM Technology Center in Long Beach, California, where the systems will be utilized to manufacture prototypes and scale critical production capacity.
The state-of-the-art facility in Long Beach encompasses Nikon AM’s extensive solutions portfolio of industry-leading L-PBF equipment, as well as in-house engineering, production, laboratory and qualification assets and expertise, all operating together under ultra-secure, stringent manufacturing requirements to support the aerospace and defense industries, and beyond.
There is well-recognized urgency to accelerate tactical munitions production and strengthen the United States’ defense industrial base. These challenges present a tremendous opportunity to utilize advanced manufacturing technologies and leverage metal AM’s capabilities to support the Department of War’s comprehensive initiatives focused on reducing production bottlenecks, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity, and enabling agile, scalable, and resilient defense supply chains.
Hamid Zarringhalam, GM and CEO of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing, said, “Nikon AM is deeply committed to delivering the vital manufacturing capabilities required to grow and strengthen the defense industrial base for the United States and our allies. We are proud to leverage our company’s esteemed history of innovation and ability to scale to provide advanced manufacturing technology to expand production capacity of TLAM and other critical systems with speed.”