Denver-based Beehive Industries has placed a multi-unit order for NXG 600E metal 3D printers from Nikon SLM Solutions, part of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. The purchase is entirely self-funded and gives the company a capability that remains scarce in the United States: ultra-large-format laser powder bed fusion capacity.
The NXG 600E is the biggest machine in the Nikon SLM Solutions lineup, combining a 600 x 600 x 1500 mm build envelope with twelve 1 kW lasers for high-throughput serial production of large metal parts.
Beehive will dedicate one system to Constellium‘s Aheadd CP1 aluminum and another to Titanium Ti 64 (Ti-6Al-4V), two alloys firmly established in defense, space, and aerospace additive manufacturing. The configuration allows the company to print entire vehicle bodies, large satellite substructures, and other oversized components in a single build.
“There is a heavy overlap between the customers who rely on Beehive’s propulsion solutions and those who require advanced aerospace printed solutions,” said Darius Ehteshami, Chief Operations and Finance Officer at Beehive Industries. “By investing proactively in these machines, Beehive is uniquely positioned to provide aerostructures and parts that enable our customers to fly higher and fly faster. This is Beehive doubling down on our history of large format additive manufacturing, supporting our customers in both the A&D area and in space.”
Serial Production for the Defense Industrial Base
For Nikon, the order lands squarely in its push to equip defense manufacturers with scalable production technology. “Manufacturers supporting today’s defense programs require production technology that can scale quickly and reliably,” said Hamid Zarringhalam, CEO and General Manager of Nikon Advanced Manufacturing. “Beehive Industries has built an impressive business around advanced propulsion and aerospace manufacturing, and we’re proud to support their continued growth with the NXG 600E platform.”
He further commented, “Our companies are deeply committed to enabling and scaling the defense industrial base, and this represents a key step in delivering the advanced manufacturing capabilities that are crucial to the United States and our allied partners.”
The new systems slot into Beehive’s vertically integrated model, engineering, additive production, and testing under one roof, giving space and A&D customers domestic serial-production access for mission-critical hardware. External customers can book time on the machines directly.
“This investment marks the natural evolution of our company, seamlessly carrying our legacy of large-format expertise forward into the next generation of manufacturing for our external parts customers across the space, defense, and aerostructures sectors,” said Jonaaron Jones, President of Additive Parts Sales at Beehive Industries.
Domestic Ultra-Large-Format Capacity Is the Scarce Asset
Beehive’s strategy targets a specific gap: demand from U.S. space and defense programs for very large printed metal parts is growing faster than the domestic machine base that can make them. By self-funding multiple NXG 600E systems, the company is buying capacity ahead of demand and selling it back as booked machine time, positioning scarce hardware as the moat.
Other U.S. suppliers are making the same move. Florida-based Sintavia ran a $25 million expansion that included a second Nikon SLM NXG XII 600, added facility space to support U.S. Department of Defense programs through 2030, and won a DoD contract for 3D printed hypersonic propulsion components, followed by $10 million from the Stifel North Atlantic AM-Forward Fund, created specifically to bankroll American aerospace and defense AM suppliers.
The U.S. government is funding the buildout directly: 3D Systems secured a $7.65 million U.S. Air Force contract to advance large-format metal AM for high-temperature aerospace structures.
Ultra-large-format LPBF machines are becoming defense infrastructure, and whoever owns them domestically owns the queue. Beehive just bought several. The customers were already there.
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Featured image shows NXG 600E metal 3D printer. Photo via Nikon SLM Solutions.
