The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory recently awarded Johnstown-based Concurrent Technologies Corp. (CTC) a $5.2 million contract for the world’s largest additive manufacturing (AM) machine.
The project aims to overcome the limits of current AM equipment to build longer parts for critical defense applications. Under the contract, CTC will work with the U.S. Office of SLM Solutions NA, an integrated metal additive manufacturing solutions provider, to construct an industrial metal 3D printer/machine with an extended 1.5-meter build envelope in the Z-axis.
“We are excited to play a role in this ground-breaking AM advancement,” CTC President and CEO Edward J. Sheehan, Jr. said. “The technical work we are performing for this project includes elements of CTC’s full-service portfolio of AM capabilities including design, testing, post-processing, machining, and qualification.”
CTC is an applied scientific research and development professional services organization. It fully designs, develops, tests, and builds prototypes. Enterprise Ventures Corporation, its technology transition affiliate, provides research, development, test, and evaluation work.
“Partnering with CTC, a premier research and development company, will help us achieve the goal to create a new AM capability,” SLM Solutions CEO Sam O’Leary said. “We look forward to collaborating on an AM machine that will work much faster than existing equipment and feature the largest build envelope in the industry by far.”