Home-Colibrium Additive Secures NAVAIR Deal to Advance Metal AM Certification
TheU.S. Naval Air Systems Command(NAVAIR) has awardedColibrium Additive, a subsidiary ofGE Aerospace, a $31 million contract as part of its Additive Manufacturing Capability initiative. The program targets a persistent challenge in military aviation: accelerating the testing, qualification, and certification of metal additively manufactured components to keep fleet aircraft mission-ready.
Building the Materials Foundation: Six MPCs in Scope
At the heart of the agreement is the development of six metal alloy Material Process Combinations (MPCs), structured datasets capturing the physical and mechanical properties of specific alloys under defined manufacturing conditions. Colibrium Additive will optimize process parameters, consolidate material and process specifications, and establish design allowables for all properties tested.
The work expands two existing alloy packages, AlSi7Mg and IN718, while introducing 17-4PH and 7050-RAM2 into a portfolio that already includes 316L, CoCr, and Ti64. A dedicated thin-wall fatigue characterization effort is also included, specifically aimed at validating the performance and fatigue life of thin-wall geometries, which are common in aerospace structures and historically difficult to certify for flight-critical applications.
Hardware, Software, and Services Delivered Together
To meet NAVAIR’s development timelines, Colibrium Additive will supply three M Line metal 3D printing systems and one M2 Series 5 printer. These machines will directly support MPC development activities on-site.
Beyond hardware, the contract includes a comprehensive AddWorks services package: licensed material characterization data and curves, manufacturing process instructions, and select specifications tailored to the production of NAVAIR components.
A multi-disciplinary training program rounds out the contract, covering teams across manufacturing, quality, design, and materials disciplines, as well as machine operators. The goal is to build lasting internal expertise within the Navy, not just deliver equipment, so that qualified additive manufacturing processes can be sustained and scaled over time.
“Colibrium Additive is proud to extend its support of NAVAIR with proven metal additive technology and deep application expertise,” said Lars Bruns, executive technology leader at Colibrium Additive. “By combining certified hardware with licensed process data and hands-on training, we are helping accelerate the Navy’s ability to produce repeatable, airworthy components at scale and reduce supply chain risk for critical aviation parts.”
Source: 3D Printing Industry
