Additive Manufacturing Advantage: Aerospace, Space & Defense summit approaches

On July 10, 2025, the virtual Additive Manufacturing Advantage: Aerospace, Space & Defense summit will gather industry leaders to demonstrate how AM technologies can meet urgent mission demands, strengthen supply chains and reduce production lead times.

The one-day event will feature experts from NASA, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the UK Ministry of Defence, Northrop Grumman, Safran, HP, Lincoln Electric, and others. Sessions will cover propulsion systems, satellite hardware, UAVs, in-situ manufacturing, and AI-enabled advanced manufacturing, all against the backdrop of increased defence investment and growing pressure to domesticize critical manufacturing.

“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.”

The programme includes:

• Mission-critical Additive Manufacturing
  • ‘Pushing the Envelope: NASA’s Frontline Applications of Metal Additive Manufacturing’ by Paul Gradl, which will explore how NASA uses AM for rocket engines and launch-critical structures
  • ‘Accelerating the Adoption of AM‘ by Richard Hamber (UK Ministry of Defence), discussing the acceleration within national defence logistics
  • ‘Additive Manufacturing in Aerospace in Numbers’ by Matthias Schmidt-Lehr (AMPOWER)
  • ‘Crushable Lattices for Space Exploration’ by Ryan Watkins (NASA JPL)
  • ‘Additive as the Bridge Between Earth-Based and Space-Based Manufacturing’ by David Barnhart (Arkisys)
  • Mark Douglass (Lincoln Electric) will deliver insights on the deployment of Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)
  • Simon McCaldin (Authentise) will presents how AI-generated technical data packages are transforming supply chain insertion, making AM faster, safer, and certifiable
  • Gino Balistreri (HP) and Robert Miller (The Eye Above) will discuss breakthroughs in AM-enhanced UAV design, reducing weight while increasing flight time and payload capability
  • Dan Braley (Precision Additive) will be on a panel with Len Pannett, Bill Alderman, and others to discuss supply chain sovereignty, exploring AM’s role in strategic stockpiles and resilient logistics
• Industry ROI and readiness Speakers from Safran, Northrop Grumman, and NIWC Pacific will discuss how leading firms are moving beyond prototyping to production, driving real return on investment through AM. Sessions will spotlight:
  • Weight savings of up to 30% using design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM)
  • Near-complete elimination of multi-part assemblies
  • Field-deployable AM machines capable of reducing spare part logistics by weeks
  • Progress toward Standards in metal Additive Manufacturing.
• New Standards
  • ‘Communicating AM value to procurement stakeholders’ by Alison Wyrick Mendoza (Outlook Lab)
  • ‘Barriers to polymer AM scale-up’ by Leif Tiltins (AON3D)
  • ‘AM developments in Nadcap aerospace accreditation’ by Richard Freeman (PRI)
  • ‘Strategic insights from Wohlers Associates/ASTM’ by Scott Sevcik

Registration: Final Spots Available

Additive Manufacturing Advantage: Aerospace, Space & Defense is free to attend for qualified professionals.

View the full programme and register here.