Consortium reviews DISCMAM milestones ahead of 2026 conclusion
The Digital Supply Chain for on-site Maintenance in defence by Additive Manufacturing (DISCMAM) project is scheduled to conclude in November 2026. With one year remaining, the project held a Consortium Meeting in Aarhus, Denmark, to track ongoing actions and define the next strategic steps for the project. The meeting brought together project partners to review progress made over the past six months, hosted by the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), and offered participants the opportunity to visit the DTI’s Centre for Industrial 3D Printing.
The upcoming project phase will reportedly be decisive for the full integration and validation of the developed DISCMAM solutions, marking a key milestone in the project’s roadmap toward demonstrating secure, on-site repair and manufacturing capabilities within defence environments.
Technical progress highlights
The DISCMAM project reportedly continues to progress smoothly, with almost six work packages completed and all efforts now focused on successfully achieving the objectives defined for the second reporting period, which began in June 2025.
Over the past six months, the consortium achieved four key technical accomplishments:
- Cybersecure Digital Pathway Pilot – Led by Accenture, this achievement focused on the development of a cybersecure digital framework for file and process data sharing. The solution ensures compliance with EU military platform requirements and enables remote assistance and secure file transfer, securing last meter connection with AM machines.
- Monitoring Systems and Manufacturing Workflow Definition – Led by project coordinator LORTEK, this achievement advanced the development of process monitoring systems and established defined manufacturing. The result delivers an updated strategy for on-site operations, aimed at reducing system downtime while ensuring part quality and functionality for both repaired and newly manufactured components.
- PBF-LB improved scanning strategies for optimum manufacturing quality – Led by DTI. This advancement is expected to minimise post-processing requirements, accelerate production, and improve the robustness of the PBF-LB metal Additive Manufacturing process and part quality. This, in conjunction with process monitoring systems and process data analysis, is intended to pave the way for future digital part qualification without the need for additional on-site testing.
- Virtualisation of the DED-LB wire LORTEK cell, including path planning and deposition strategies for repairing a selected use case – Led by ADAXIS. The completion of this task enhances the efficiency, precision and reliability of the metal AM repair process, intended to help identify potential issues and optimise path planning strategies.
The project coordination team noted, “The DISCMAM project is moving forward smoothly, and the current progress aligns with the established timeline goals. The coming months will be critical for the project progress, as all the developments will be consolidated into a final integrated solution.”
The gathering covered a broad range of topics, from management and dissemination updates to technical developments, with a particular focus on the progress of the digital solution for on-site process optimisation and the status of the integration between the digital and physical components developed so far.
As the project enters a decisive year, DISCMAM will be showcased by its partners at key AM events, including the upcoming Formnext. Additionally, the AM Village, organised by EDA and Spain Air Force, is expected to represent a major milestone for the project, featuring a workshop focused on quality assurance and quality control methods in on-site metal AM for the defence sector, and a live on-site demonstration of the DISCMAM solution and its advanced capabilities in secure, on-site manufacturing of spare parts with a deployable system from its core partner Fieldmade.
