Constellium joins America Makes project to advance use of aluminum additive manufacturing in defense and aerospace

Constellium SE today 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.

“This project underscores the power of collaboration to drive meaningful innovation,” said Ludovic Piquier, Senior Vice President, Manufacturing Excellence and Chief Technology Officer at Constellium. “Aheadd CP1 continues to demonstrate its value in additive manufacturing, and we look forward to unlocking even greater potential in the aerospace and defense industries with our partners.”

“Nikon AM is proud to lead this initiative,” said Behrang Poorganji, Ph.D., Vice President, Technology, Nikon AM. “Additive manufacturing (AM) offers many opportunities for the aerospace and defense markets, and material selection is a key to AM success. We are excited to support the United States’ Defense Industrial Base with this groundbreaking project using Nikon SLM Solutions’ large-format, multi-laser NXG XII 600 series laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) systems.”

Constellium’s Aheadd CP1 is a high-performance aluminum alloy designed specifically for additive manufacturing. Its strength, thermal conductivity, and excellent printability—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.