Divergent Will Keep Its Nikon SLM Printers Running Until Monolith One Takes Over

Current production runs come first

Divergent Technologies is not ripping out its existing metal 3D printers just yet. CEO Lukas Czinger told TCT Magazine that the company's fleet of Nikon SLM Solutions NXG XII 600 machines will stay in service until current production programs wrap up.

Those programs include missile airframes and automotive parts. Divergent does not want to change machines mid-run.

What happens to the NXG XII 600 fleet

Once the existing production work finishes, the NXG systems will shift to materials research and development. Divergent has partnerships with several powder suppliers and is working on its own bespoke aluminum alloy, which the company says has already received a patent.

The NXG XII 600s will support that R&D in the near term. Over a longer horizon, Divergent expects to replace them with its own Monolith One printers.

The Monolith One ramp-up

Six Monolith One machines are already installed at Divergent's headquarters in Torrance, California. The company is building a 430,000-square-foot factory in Long Beach that will eventually house 64 more Monolith One systems.

The Monolith One is a laser powder bed fusion printer with 12 lasers delivering 24kW of power and a build volume of 700 x 700 x 835 mm. It is designed for continuous, high-throughput industrial production.

Czinger said the company will sell or retire the NXG XII 600 machines in a controlled way. He described Nikon SLM Solutions as a close ally and said the transition is simply a timing issue.