• The National Nuclear Security Administration(NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the US Department of Energy responsible for managing the nation’s nuclear security enterprise, joinedSandia National Laboratoriesand theKansas City National Security Campus(KCNSC) on February 12 to open theCenter for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation, known as CAMINO. • Located at theScience and Technology ParkoutsideKirtland Air Force Base, the facility is intended to enable rapid prototyping and shorten development life cycles for nuclear weapons hardware and other national security missions. • Approximately 120 people attended the ribbon-cutting event. • Sandia National Laboratories, a federally funded research and development center that serves as the design agency for many non-nuclear components in the nation’s nuclear deterrent, hosted the ceremony alongside NNSA leadership and representatives from the KCNSC, the production agency responsible for manufacturing non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons systems. • The new center is described as a capability that connects foundational research with applied production. • During the event, a wire electrical discharge machine cut a Thunderbird paperweight from a baseplate before it fell.

Article Summaries:

  • The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Sandia National Laboratories, and the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) inaugurated the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO) on February 12. Located at the Science and Technology Park near Kirtland Air Force Base, the facility aims to accelerate prototyping and shorten development cycles for nuclear‑security hardware. About 120 attendees witnessed a demonstration in which a wire‑EDM machine removed a 3‑D‑printed Thunderbird paperweight from its build plate. Leaders emphasized CAMINO’s role in linking foundational research with applied production, enabling earlier production‑agency involvement and faster technology maturation for deterrence.
  • The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the US Department of Energy responsible for managing the nation’s nuclear security enterprise, joined Sandia National Laboratories and the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) on February 12 to open the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation, known as CAMINO. Located at the Science and Technology Park outside Kirtland Air Force Base, the facility is intended to enable rapid prototyping and shorten development life cycles for nuclear weapons hardware and other national security missions. Appro

Sources: