If LEAP 71’s most ambitious rocket engine proves anything, it’s that Nikon SLM Solutions’ technology can breathe life into geometries once thought impossible. But a closer look at market dynamics reveals another truth: matching the productivity of conventional manufacturing demands a transformation of the entire AM production chain.
The pressure points differ from one manufacturer to another, yet Nikon SLM Solutions is targeting areas that will enable AM users to take advantage of open, integrated, and highly reliable software–hardware ecosystems.
This can be seen across its recent partnerships which mainly focus on data preparation workflow, as well as quality assurance and process monitoring.
Data preparation workflow
As data preparation workflow involves a wide range of digital steps required to turn a 3D model into a machine-ready build file, it has a huge impact on part quality, print time, and cost.
Through its latest partnership with Materialise, Nikon SLM Solutions aims to address key production pain points, including fragmented workflows, lack of validation, and limited customization options, in particular for aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing companies.
Together with Materialise, they will co-develop a fully integrated data preparation workflow that will combine Materialise and Nikon SLM software.
The goal? delivering a unified solution that provides complete, build-ready job files — including build layout, toolpath generation, laser allocation, and all machine parameters — in a seamless, validated workflow.
The partnership bridges the gap between software and hardware, solving one of the industry’s long-standing challenges: scaling from new product introduction (NPI) to full series production. Advanced users will be able to optimize toolpaths, assign laser strategies, and configure machine parameters within an OEM-validated environment.
In the meantime, Nikon SLM Solutions has validated Oqton’s 3DXpert build processor following an extensive joint program. This means that the build processor is fully compatible with Nikon SLM’s latest manufacturing strategies and advanced multi-laser platforms.
The project also received valuable support from AMEXCI, a leading accelerator of additive manufacturing adoption, which provided end-user insight and real-world testing.
Quality assurance and process monitoring
In this specific area of the manufacturing value chain, Nikon SLM Solutions is partnering with Additive Assurance to integrate AMiRIS Inside into its NXG platform.
According to the company, this would be the first time a near-infrared optical tomography system will monitor all 12 lasers simultaneously within a production-scale metal additive manufacturing (AM) system.
| Read more in this edition of 3D Adept Mag: In-situ monitoring vs. Post-process inspection
Both aim at flawless AM parts: one during the build, one after. Should they compete or complement each other? Analysis with Addiguru’s SK Khurana and Additive Assurance’s David Menzies. |
Additionally, the OEN will connect Interspectral’s AM Explorer software with Nikon SLM Solutions’ open-architecture metal AM platforms, providing users with real-time data visualization, process insight, and AI-powered analytics, all designed to accelerate qualification, improve repeatability, and simplify certification workflows.
As a reminder, AM Explorer provides manufacturers with a unified platform to visualize, analyze, and correlate build data from multiple sources — including machine logs, sensor data, and CT scans — for a comprehensive digital thread from setup to final inspection.
Combined with Nikon SLM Solutions’ multi-laser systems and open architecture, users can benchmark builds, identify anomalies faster, and accelerate root-cause analysis to improve yield and process reliability.
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