Amid a projected increase in the U.S. defense budget to nearly one trillion dollars for fiscal year 2026, additive manufacturing is gaining growing attention in defense-related industrial sectors. The virtual conference Additive Manufacturing Advantage: Aerospace, Space & Defense (AMAA 2025), scheduled for July 10, will bring together experts from aerospace, defense, and aviation to discuss concrete use cases and technological developments. The objective is to assess the contribution of additive manufacturing to supply chain resilience, reduced production times, and the realization of complex part geometries.
Speakers will include representatives from NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the UK Ministry of Defence, and companies such as Safran, HP, and Lincoln Electric. The focus will be on applications such as satellite-based hardware, propulsion components, UAV structures, and deployable AM systems for field use.
“Additive is no longer experimental, it’s operational,” said Michael Petch, Editor-in-chief at event organisers 3D Printing Industry, “The industry is using AM to accelerate component testing, reduce weight, and enable complex geometries that are simply impossible through subtractive methods.”
One key topic will be the standardization of metal additive manufacturing processes, including Nadcap certification and compliance with ASTM guidelines. In addition to technical aspects, the conference will also address economic considerations: companies like Northrop Grumman and Safran will present figures on the return on investment of additive technologies in serial production.
The event also emphasizes data-driven market insights. Matthias Schmidt-Lehr of AMPOWER will provide quantitative analysis of current developments. Additional discussions will address challenges in scaling polymer-based AM processes and integrating AI into digital production workflows. The growing demand for national manufacturing sovereignty adds further significance to the discussion.
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