The US Air Force (USAF) has awarded Rock Hill, South Carolina-based additive manufacturing (AM) pioneer 3D Systems a $10,758,261 cost-plus-fixed contract for a “large format “3D metal printer Advanced Technology” awarded demonstrator.” The awarding agency for the contract was the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Ohio.
According to the DoD website, the funding “supports the development of large-scale hypersonic-relevant” metal 3D printing capabilities. Work on the project will be conducted in Rock Hill and San Diego and is expected to be completed by the end of September 2025.
In addition to being a years-long recipient of USAF funding, 3D Systems also received a $15 million contract from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in 2019 to develop the “world’s largest” metal 3D printer. This nine-laser platform was the earliest of three such projects the U.S. military has since announced. The other two are a twelve-laser platform for the USAF from Nikon SLM Solutions and a solid-state metal AM platform for the Army from Ingersoll Rand Machine Tool and a number of other partners, including MELD Manufacturing.
Aerospace metal part printed on 3D Systems platform
The most striking industry news surrounding 3D Systems recently has given the impression that things must be very challenging for the company at the moment. Still, a deal like this simultaneously highlights the unique value of being one of the most experienced AM companies in the world, at a time when the rest of the world outside of the AM sector is starting to take notice. The same can be said about a fairly under-the-radar story about major advances in oil parts certification by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Company (NAMI), a joint venture between 3D Systems and Dussur, a Saudi Arabian government investment fund.
As for the USAF, what I always remember when 3D Systems comes up is that the company is headquartered almost equidistant from two of the places (North Charleston and Greenville) that are home to the country’s two largest aerospace and defense companies (Boeing and Lockheed Martin produce two of the most expensive commercial and military aircraft in the United States. 3D Systems has worked with both companies as well as Airbus for years. Dr. John Tracy, the former CTO of Boeing, is also on the board of 3D Systems.
The military generally works with the same companies it normally works with whenever possible. So there is every reason to believe that 3D Systems would be as big a beneficiary as any other company from any future increase in US military spending on AM. This is particularly to be expected given that AM forward companies, which include Lockheed and Boeing, are likely to be at the forefront of such a funding increase.
Images courtesy of 3D Systems
