Collins Aerospace has broken ground on a $14 million expansion of its additive manufacturing (AM) centre in West Des Moines, Iowa. The 9,000ft² expansion will allow Collins to make room for more 3-D metal printers, in addition to the three it already has on site. The first new 3-D printer will have eight times the build volume of the existing 3-D printers and Collins expects it to be fully operational by late 2023.

Collins’ 41,000ft² West Des Moines facility is a world leader in the design and production of fuel nozzles for commercial and military aircraft. The company will use the new 3-D printers to enhance current production capabilities and expand the portfolio of metals it can use to additively produce engine components at the site.

Renee Begley, West Des Moines site lead for Collins Aerospace, said: “With this expansion, we will significantly increase our additive manufacturing capacity and enhance our ability to produce more parts faster for our airframe and engine customers.

“Compared to traditional manufacturing, AM offers several key benefits as the optimised designs not only reduce cost but can also reduce delivery lead times dramatically. AM also allows us to produce parts that are much lighter, enabling reduced aircraft fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions—a key to more sustainable flight.”

West Des Moines Mayor Russ Trimble said that Collins has maintained a presence in West Des Moines in one form or another for 70 years. He added: “It is wonderful to see them reaffirm their commitment to their West Des Moines operation in such an innovative way.”

AM is a critical focus area for Collins. In June, the company opened a new AM centre at its campus in Monroe, North Carolina. To support the next generation of aircraft with ‘state of the art’ systems, Collins maintains a global network of additive production centres in Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina and Singapore, and an additive research centre in Connecticut.