The new additive manufacturing center in Monroe includes two 3D printers with plans to add more in the future.
Collins Aerospace recently opened a new additive manufacturing center and expanded its MRO capabilities at Monroe, North Carolina campus. Collins invested about USD 30 million for the site expansion in 2021 and a further USD 15 million as a part of the government’s economic development incentive program. The new additive manufacturing center in Monroe includes two 3D printers with plans to add more in the future. The new facility will join the company’s existing global network of additive production centers in Iowa, Minnesota, and Singapore, and additive research centers in Connecticut and Poland, to support the next generation of aircraft with state-of-the-art systems and optimized designs.
Kevin Myers, vice president, Operations for Collins Aerospace said, “Through a process of joining materials layer upon layer to make parts from 3D model data, additive manufacturing offers several key benefits compared to traditional manufacturing. By using additive manufacturing to produce aircraft parts and components, we can help reduce weight, cost, and time to market, and provide more sustainable solutions for our customers.”
Opened in 2004, Collins’ 160,000-square-foot Monroe MRO facility serves more than 300 customers across the aerospace and defense industry. The site repairs more than 6,500 unique part numbers for commercial and military aircraft—including actuation systems, helicopter rescue hoists, and air management systems—and provides aircraft-on-the-ground services.
Mary DeStaffan, Monroe site general manager for Collins Aerospace said, “Our Monroe site is one of Collins’ largest MRO facilities in the world, and the repairs we provide are essential to keeping our airline and military customers’ aircraft in service. We’re proud to call Monroe home, to continue to invest and grow in the community here, and to support the region’s growing aerospace cluster.”
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Through its investments in the site, Collins has added new advanced manufacturing equipment to streamline operations, improve quality control and enhance employee safety. Collins has also increased the size of Monroe’s workforce, bringing on more than 70 new employees in the past year, and is continuing to hire for additional openings.
