Metal 3D printer manufacturer Nikon SLM Solutions and Additive Assurance, the Australian company that specializes in in-situ quality assurance for metal additive manufacturing, have partnered to integrate AMiRIS Inside into Nikon SLM Solutions’ NXG metal additive manufacturing platform. The collaboration marks the first use of a near-infrared optical tomography system capable of monitoring all 12 lasers simultaneously within a production-scale machine.
The integration enables real-time process monitoring across the full build area, providing manufacturers with enhanced visibility, consistency, and confidence in large-scale metal AM production.
“From our experience using Nikon SLM Solutions’ and Additive Assurance’s equipment, we have come to realise that the true benefit will be in further integration of such technology leaders’ products together,” said Prof. Milan Brandt, Director of the Centre for Additive Manufacturing at RMIT University. “This is the first great step in that direction and, in particular, for the aerospace industry to give more confidence in large part production.”
Additive Assurance CEO Marten Jurg described the collaboration as “a perfect fusion of two best-in-class technologies,” noting that embedding AMiRIS Inside within Nikon SLM’s NXG platform “puts the customer’s need for reliability at the heart of the solution.”
According to Simon Merkt-Schippers, Vice President of Research & Development at Nikon SLM Solutions, the achievement “redefines what’s possible in large-scale metal AM,” with 12 lasers being observed simultaneously by a near-infrared optical tomography system for the first time.
The integrated system performs real-time melt-pool and layer analysis, helping ensure complex multi-laser builds meet demanding industrial standards for consistency and reliability. The companies say this development advances certifiable, serial metal AM production, particularly for aerospace, defense, and energy applications.
Both firms will showcase the new capability at Formnext 2025 in Frankfurt (Germany), with Nikon SLM Solutions at Hall 12.0 Booth D119 and Additive Assurance at Hall 12.0 Booth C01.
Expanding monitoring and multi-laser control in AM
Recent developments highlight how additive manufacturing systems are moving toward fully monitored, production-ready environments. Hybrid Manufacturing Technologies’ AMBIT Xtrude demonstration at Trident Warrior 2025 showcased the growing focus on hybridized, field-ready systems, while Aalen University’s research on high-precision monitoring underscores advances in optical sensing for process reliability. Likewise, Farsoon’s upgraded FS350M platform illustrates how multi-laser architectures are becoming central to next-generation metal AM platforms.
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Featured image shows Additive Assurance logo. Image via Nikon SLM.
