Aerospace & Defense

The Beechcraft 18, also known as the “Beech 18,” is an American twin-engine aircraft from the 1930s. It is small, fast, rugged, and versatile. These qualities quickly made it appealing to the military, and during World War II, it was…

Primary Weapon Systems (PWS) is a firearms manufacturer based in Boise, Idaho, that has expanded its metal 3D printing capabilities with the Nikon SLM500. This marks a significant shift towards scaling additive manufacturing for its BDE suppressor line. The system…

The Centre for Industrial Photonics (CIP) at the University of Cambridge’s Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) has developed a new technology: laser-assisted cold spray (LACS). The team claims LACS is an improvement over existing cold spray technologies. They have also demonstrated…

Additive manufacturing in the aerospace sector is growing steadily. Now, Chinese scientists at the Tiandu Laboratory have achieved an important technological breakthrough in this field. The team developed a prototype 3D printer capable of using lunar regolith as a construction…

The Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) has announced the successful maiden flight of its 3D-printed micro turbojet engine, a first for the Chinese aerospace sector. Named Minimalist Lightweight Micro Turbojet, the engine was tested in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous…

Mjölnir refers to the hammer of the thunder god, Thor, in Norse mythology. The hammer is used as both a devastating weapon and as an instrument to deliver blessings. The Washington-based startup New Frontier Aerospace (NFA) gave its 3D printed…

3D printing in space is no longer a myth: it’s possible to design 3D parts in such a demanding environment, where gravity presents obvious constraints and obstacles. Numerous projects have demonstrated that it is possible to create a wide variety…

On June 23, the United Kingdom launched its Modern Industrial Strategy for 2025—a ten-year blueprint aimed at driving investment into the industries of the future. Designed to accelerate business growth and provide long-term stability, the strategy seeks to make it…

Yet again, additive manufacturing is poised to help rockets take flight. In this week’s 3DExpress, read about aerospace company INNOSPACE launching its new advanced manufacturing division, footwear company Koobz’s $7.2 million investment round, a partnership between ASTM International and Nikon…

For critical military applications, metal additive manufacturing has been questioned for concerns over porosity, mechanical reliability and reproducability. However, those issues have proved to be addressable, and defense organizations from around the world have gone on to adopt the technology.…

It’s hard to ignore additive manufacturing when it comes to aerospace and space conquest. It would seem that the technology has become an essential means of designing more efficient parts and tools, rather like artificial intelligence. This is the context…

Last week, we explored how the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing, and the momentum is not slowing down. On June 4th, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) announced a $6.3 million grant from…