Constellium SE announced the kick off of a new collaborative project with Nikon Advanced Manufacturing (Nikon AM), America Makes, and a team of industry leaders to expand the use of its Aheadd®? CP1 aluminum alloy for additive manufacturing in defense and aerospace applications. The $2.1 million project is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense's Manufacturing Technology Office (ODS ManTech) through America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute.
This project is led by Nikon AM with the collaboration of ASTM International and 3Degrees, along with guidance from top defense contractors including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, and others. Constellium's Aheadd®? CP1 is a high-performance aluminum alloy designed specifically for additive manufacturing.
Its strength, thermal conductivity, and excellent printability--all allowing high-speed productivity and stability to avoid post-processing--make it ideal for demanding applications such as heat exchangers and other mission-critical components. The project will generate key material property data through testing on Nikon SLM Solutions' L-PBF systems. Results will be shared via the Workbench for Additive Materials (WAM) database to support qualification and use by defense and aerospace manufacturers.
