Aerospace & Defense

The Artemis II mission launched on April 1, carrying four astronauts on the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than half a century. On board was the Universal Waste Management System (UWMS), the first functional toilet to travel…

From reconnaissance to strike missions, 3D-printed drones are moving from the factory floor to the front lines. Across the U.S. Army, Marine Corps, and allied forces, additive manufacturing is enabling soldiers to build, repair, and adapt UAVs exactly where and…

As the U.S. military grapples with aging supply chains and prolonged lead times for critical aircraft, the Department of War is turning to advanced additive manufacturing to bridge the gap. On March 10, Nikon AM Synergy Inc. announced it had…

At Texas A&M University, researchers have created a superfoam using additive manufacturing. The composite is capable of absorbing up to 10 times more energy than conventional foam. This 3D-printed material could have a significant impact on the defense sector and…

Additive manufacturing has established itself as a fundamental technology in rocket development, especially in the production of combustion chambers, as it allows for great freedom in terms of geometry. The most recent example of this application is the Greta engine,…

At the Military Additive Manufacturing Summit (MILAM) in Tampa, one theme surfaced repeatedly across panel discussions and conversations with defense officials and industry leaders. The question is no longer whether additive manufacturing works. It is whether the systems around it…

On February 3, as the Mercury One satellite passed over Earth, a small box released a titanium spring with a simple yet disruptive movement. This was the JPL Additive Compliant Canister (JACC), a technology demonstration developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion…

Additive manufacturing promises lighter parts, complex geometries and faster production for aerospace. But in aviation, printing a component is the easy part. Proving it will survive in operation is what determines whether it is ever approved for service. A component…

On the Moon, nothing is easy to replace. Every tool, spare part and structural component must be launched from Earth, with a very high price tag. (There’s no Amazon Prime on the Moon.) The solution, researchers from The Ohio State…

British defense leader QinetiQ has reached a milestone in “circular” defense manufacturing with the successful maiden flight of a 3D-printed structural component made from recycled titanium. The test, conducted by QinetiQ’s Flight Test Organisation at MOD Boscombe Down in Wiltshire,…

In a previous analysis of 2025 3D printing trends, we mentioned how the defense sector is showing increasing interest in additive manufacturing, to the point of integrating it as a key technology in its operations. A new application for the…

In aerospace additive manufacturing, you expect the story to start with rockets. This one starts with an ink cartridge. Years before working on aerospace antenna systems, Garrett Hawkins was a high school student measuring a printer cartridge with calipers, recreating…