Oxford Performance Materials secures more funding from HexcelOxford Performance Materials secures more funding from Hexcel

Additive manufacturing technology provider Oxford Performance Materials, Inc. (OPM) has secured a second round of funding from composites giant Hexcel Corporation valued at $10 million. Previously, in May 2016, OPM and Hexcel announced an initial strategic investment from Hexcel of $15 million.

OPM develops proprietary material, process and application technologies, and its Aerospace & Industrial business unit applies 3D printing technology and High Performance Additive Manufacturing (HPAM) to produce fully functional end-use parts that combine structural strength, enhanced performance, weight reduction and time-to-market benefits for its customer base.

OPM has developed a range of unique, enterprise-level additive manufacturing solutions utilizing its proprietary OXPEKK (polyetherketoneketone) polymer formulations and additive manufacturing processes. OPM Aerospace & Industrial utilizes Hexcel carbon fiber in the production of its 3D-printed OXFAB–ESD advanced thermoplastic structural parts for its aerospace, satellite & defense programs.

OPM recently announced its contract award from Boeing to supply around 600 different 3D-printed OXFAB structural production parts for the CST-100 Starliner. The Starliner – designed to transport up to seven passengers, or a mix of crew and cargo, to low-Earth orbit destinations such as the International Space Station – is under development in collaboration with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.

OPM has already started shipping parts for the program. “From our earliest discussions with Boeing, they stressed the need to see significant reductions in weight, cost and lead times in order to consider replacing traditional metallic and composite parts with a new technology for their space program,” said Lawrence Varholak, President of OPM Aerospace & Industrial.

OPM’s Aerospace & Industrial Division has established a set of robust performance attributes verified in an exhaustive B-Basis database that was developed in conjunction with NASA. Boeing selected OPM as a result of the company’s demonstrated ability to continually produce highly specified aerospace parts that consistently perform in demanding space environments.

Hexcel’s follow-on investment will further enable OPM to expand capacity to meet rapidly growing market demand for the company’s OXFAB technology in aerospace and other industries.