SLM Solutions introduces the NXG XII 600E metal 3D printer, a new product based on the highly acclaimed NXG XII 600 with an extended 1.5M build envelope in the Z-axis. SLM received its first order from Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC), the prime contractor for a project at the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
This work was funded by AFRL in order to leverage additive manufacturing for advanced DoD applications. Customers who already have or are about to install the NXG XII 600 can take advantage of its extensible architecture and upgrade their system to unlock the benefits of the extended Z build envelope.
The NXG XII 600E is expected to be delivered in 2023.
SLM Solutions NXG XII 600E
The NXG XII 600 has revolutionized the metal additive industry, hastening its industrialization. Customers are requesting larger metal parts at breakneck speeds. Serial production of complex geometries can now be completed in hours or days rather than weeks or months, thanks to the most productive 12 1kW laser solution with a maximum output of 1000cm/hr. The NXG XII 600E also has the industry’s largest build envelope, outstripping its nearest competitor by 90% thanks to 50% more z-height.
The NXG XII 600E is intended to be the most advanced productive system available on the market today. The solution includes an End-to-End Production workflow, including external cool down unpacking, to maximize machine uptime and allow job-to-job turnover in under one hour, as opposed to competing technology’s reported “days.” Furthermore, the NXG platform incorporates SLM Open Architecture, which allows for maximum flexibility in tailoring process parameters to optimize application results with maximum productivity using 90m layer thickness and beyond in commonly qualified materials that can be processed, such as IN718, AlSi10Mg, TiAl6V4 and copper alloys.
Support-free printing with Free Float capability provides maximum design freedom and cuts support structure and post-processing time by up to 90%. SLM.Quality provides efficient and robust quality assurance through documentation, process qualification, and part certification, as well as the ability to generate a quality report “in two clicks” and fully document process data and validate part quality.
“We are pleased to continue our long-term partnership with SLM. SLM is clearly a leader in the additive manufacturing equipment arena, and we look forward to collaborating and expanding the possibilities of additive manufacturing for defense applications in this exciting opportunity in support of critical AFRL mission requirements.”
– Edward J. Sheehan, Jr., President and CEO, CTC
The customer’s need for larger components made of high-temperature materials that can withstand the extreme performance requirements in the defense, space, and aviation industries drove the development of this new innovative system. In addition to the previously mentioned benefits, the NXG XII 600 is the epitome of a production system because it is 20x faster than a single-laser system and 5x faster than a quad-laser system, resulting in the lowest possible cost for end-use parts in the automotive and energy sectors.
Sam O’Leary, CEO for SLM Solutions said, “These are the partnerships that are a testament to SLM Solutions’ ethos; it is only in close collaboration with them that we can push the limits of innovation. To take a market leader like that of the NXG XII 600 as a blueprint, extend the envelope to 1.5m, coupled with the precision and reliability of our systems, and our hands-on support allow our customer to develop with agility–almost at the Mach-speed that we are designing this system to build parts for.” He added, “We are especially pleased to be teamed with CTC, a highly regarded premier research and development organization with an outstanding record of securing technology transition successes.”
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