Military 3D Printing
Amaero Builds U.S. Metal Powder Capacity for Additive Manufacturing
For metal additive manufacturing (AM) to grow in the United States, companies need more than printers. They also need a reliable supply of the powders that go into those machines….
Phase3D Gets Air Force Contract for Real-Time CMC Inspection
Inspection software and tooling firm Phase3D has been given a Department of the Air Force contract. Its Fringe Inspection platform will be used in ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). CMCs are…
More RIMPAC Expeditionary AM, This Time With SPEE3D
In my most recent post about the 2026 edition of Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), a biannual exhibition that constitutes the world’s largest joint maritime exercise, I focused on the…
Oqton’s 3D Printing Software Wins ASTRO-InSPIRE’s 2nd Annual Tech Challenge
Rejoice, ye process engineers! Your raised concerns do not go in vain. Additive manufacturing (AM) materials qualification is genuinely becoming the central focal point for commercialization efforts in the industry’s…
Haddy’s Continued Attention to 3D Printed Drone Boats Shows Why It’s Becoming a Legit Dual-Use Contender
At some point last year, I stumbled across what has been, for me, the most valuable explanation of what ‘dual-use’ means, in this War on the Rocks article from January 2025, whose…
Hadrian Valued at $7.9B After Massive $1.4B Series D Funding Round
The industrial underpinnings of US military readiness have been hampered by an overcommitment to weapons systems whose long-term value is increasingly questionable. This isn’t so much a generational problem as…
Talking About the Need for Speed at MMX 2026
On the first day of the recent MMX 2026, the annual Members Meeting and Exchange held by America Makes in Youngstown, Ohio, someone asked me if I had any early…
3D Systems Gets Further $9 Million For US Air Force Metal 3D Printing Project
3D Systems has received an extra $9 million under the Air Force’s Large-Format Metal 3D Printer Advanced Technology Demonstrator program. In 2023, the firm already got $10.8 million from the…
Valiant Shield & RIMPAC ’26, Pt. 2: 3D Printed Drone Boats, and 3D Printing Drones on Boats
Representatives of the US Army’s DEVCOM Armaments Center trained Marines to use 3D printing for repair electronics components repair at the recent Valiant Shield event in the Indo-Pacific. Not long after,…
NUWC Keyport Becomes First Naval Warfare Center to Receive Official Approval for Metal AM Process
US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has approved the PBF process for 17-4PH stainless steel demonstrated by Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport, located in Washington state (one of ten…
Chromatic 3D Materials Opens Propellant Test-firing Site in Minnesota
Chromatic 3D Materials has inaugurated a test firing site at Camp Ripley in Little Falls, Minnesota. It’s a 210 square kilometer Minnesota National Guard site used for training service members from…
3D Printing News Briefs, August 8, 2026: Seawall Funding, Defense Capabilities, Supports, & More
We’re starting with business in this weekend’s 3D Printing News Briefs, then moving on to defense. We’ll move on to young 3D printing entrepreneurs, and finish with some research out…
The Barnes Global Advisors Lands BPMI Metal AM Database Contract
Other than workforce development, materials qualification is perhaps the greatest existing barrier to the scale-up of metal additive manufacturing (AM). Moreover, improving access to data on metals qualified for the…
DEVCOM Armaments Center Demonstrates Remote 3D Printing of Electronics at Valiant Shield 2026
The US Army’s DEVCOM Armaments Center, headquartered at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey, has become one of the US military’s most important hubs for drone R&D. At the recent Valiant…
3D Printing Financials: 6K Additive Reports Record Quarter as Demand Grows for U.S.-Made Metal Powders
Demand for metal powders made in the United States continues to grow, particularly from aerospace and defense customers. That was one of the biggest takeaways from 6K Additive‘s (ASX: 6KA)…
Electroninks’ EMI Shielding Materials Give it an Expanded Presence in Japan
In the current global economic context, which is being shaped primarily by national leaders trying out new forms of geopolitical leverage on a daily basis, advanced manufacturing partnerships between American…
ICON’s Fort Bliss Barracks Could Be the Start of a Much Bigger Military Opportunity
Two barracks have been 3D printed at Texas’ Fort Bliss, and another eight will be completed by September. The barracks were printed by ICON, which got $62 million for the…
AMPulse Asia: India’s Orbital Launch Headlines a Busy Second Half of July
The second half of July brought major developments across Asia’s additive manufacturing sector. Highlights included India’s first private orbital launch powered by 3D printed engines, a billion-yuan ownership change at…
Australian OEM AML3D Closes Record Year, Eyes $54M Global Sales Pipeline
The US Department of Defense (DoD) finally seems to be implementing a strategy it has spent years refining, centered on bringing its international allies and partners more into the fold…
Product Market Fit: Nikon Advanced Manufacturing CEO Hamid Zarringhalam on How Defense Demand is Pushing Metal AM to Scale
After years in which the additive manufacturing (AM) industry gained a reputation for its hype outpacing its performance, an interesting development has emerged recently. In certain market segments, at least,…
Why Kyle Bass Is Betting on Divergent, and What It Says About the Future of Manufacturing
Kyle Bass has spent much of his career looking at big economic trends before everyone else does. The founder of Hayman Capital Management became famous for betting against the U.S….
Beyond Thermoplastics: Why JuggerBot Is Betting on Hybrid AM
For years, thermoplastics have been the workhorse of additive manufacturing (AM). They are pretty easy to process, available, and compatible with many of today’s industrial 3D printers. From prototypes to…
AMPulse Asia: China’s Consumer 3D Printing Boom Leads APAC Roundup
The first half of July brought continued investment into Asia’s additive manufacturing sector, with major funding rounds, manufacturing expansion, and new metal 3D printing systems leading the news. Elsewhere, companies…
Beehive Industries Invests $70M in Ohio to Support Its Advanced Manufacturing Buildup for Propulsion
Beehive Industries and the state of Ohio have each been killing it in the metal 3D printing game. Naturally then, it was only logical for Beehive and Ohio to combine…
