Collins Opens $14 Million Aerospace Additive Manufacturing Facility in Iowa

July 27, 2023

Collins Aerospace has opened a $14 million expansion of its additive manufacturing center in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Image: Nordroden/Adobe Stock)

Collins Aerospace celebrated the opening of a $14 million expansion to its additive manufacturing facility in West Des Moines, Iowa last week. The 9,000 square foot addition to the facility will feature new 3D metal printing technology, including a printer that has "eight times the build volume of the facility's existing printers," according to the Raytheon company.

The additive manufacturing center in Iowa is one of several operated by Collins, which also has additive production centers in Iowa, Minnesota, North Carolina and Singapore, along with an additive research center in Connecticut. Most of the additive manufacturing focus at the expanded West Des Moines facility is the design and production of engine components for commercial and military aircraft.

"From supporting the backlog in commercial aircraft to enabling future platforms, and reducing carbon emissions to providing supply chain relief, additive manufacturing is poised to play an integral role in the future of the aerospace and defense industry," said Renee Begley, West Des Moines site lead for Collins Aerospace. "Additive manufacturing has the potential to help us reduce weight, complexity, lead time and cost in the parts we supply, and this expansion represents an investment in our business to help deliver those benefits to our customers."

The new printers will allow the site to explore additive production of these components, building on the multiple land-based turbine components it already has in production. Additionally, the facility is one of only eight in the U.S. to receive the National Aerospace and Defense Contractors Accreditation Program (NADCAP) certification for Additive Manufacturing.

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