Collins Aerospace has opened a new additive manufacturing center and expanded its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capabilities at its Monroe, N.C., campus. Collins’ new additive manufacturing center in Monroe includes two 3D printers.
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, reports Aviation Maintenance magazine.
The company completed a $30 million expansion of the site in 2021 and has since invested an additional $15 million as part of the Monroe City Council and Union County Board of Commissioners MAGNET100 economic development incentive program.
“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,” said Kevin Myers, vice president, Operations for Collins Aerospace. “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.”
Collins maintains a worldwide network of 75 MRO sites to serve its global customer base. Opened in 2004, Collins’ 160,000-square-foot Monroe MRO facility serves more than 300 customers across the aerospace and defense industry, reports Aviation Maintenance.
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.
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.
“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,” said Mary DeStaffan, Monroe site general manager for Collins Aerospace. “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.”
“Collins Aerospace is a vital corporate partner and a cornerstone of our aerospace cluster here in Monroe and Union County,” stated Monroe Mayor Marion Holloway. “Not only are we excited about the current success of the company and their investments here, but their continued commitment to the residents of our community.”