Drawing on insight from the AMPOWER Report 2025, this article examines how defence has become a key growth driver for metal Additive Manufacturing. While the US and China advance with coordinated, large-scale adoption, Europe risks falling behind. Matthias Schmidt-Lehr, Managing Partner at AMPOWER, offers a market analyst’s perspective on the strategic role of Additive Manufacturing in global defence, and what Europe must do to translate its industrial potential into meaningful defence capability.
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REM Surface Engineering has worked with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for decades to develop surface finishing processes for metal components used in space missions – more recently including those produced by Additive Manufacturing. Drawing on its aerospace and medical experience, REM has adapted its Isotropic Superfinishing (ISF®) and Chemical Polishing (CP) technologies to address the roughness and surface variability of AM parts. In this article, REM’s Justin Michaud and Agustin Diaz trace the evolution of that work, culminating in the development of ultralight, crushable lattice structures for the Mars Sample Return mission.
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Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition (DED-ARC/W), also known as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), is gaining traction as a high-deposition-rate solution for large-scale metal parts. At WAAMathon #2 in Berlin, leading experts from industry and research explored the technology’s rapid progress – from machine design and process automation to real-world applications. As Dr Joerg Lantzsch reports, the event highlighted DED-ARC/W’s growing relevance across a wide range of sectors, with use cases spanning from turbine blades to underwater habitats.
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Wire Electron Beam Directed Energy Deposition (DED-EB/W) is gaining attention as a highly efficient metal Additive Manufacturing process. Offering high deposition rates, minimal thermal distortion, and excellent energy efficiency, the process addresses two major industry challenges: productivity and resource use. As sustainability regulations tighten and demand grows for large-scale, cost-effective components, DED-EB/W presents a compelling alternative to powder-based AM systems. In this article, Bernd Baufeld and Alejandro Zamorano Reichold of Pro-beam Additive GmbH review the technology and examine its technical foundations and potential for industrial-scale adoption.
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Additive Manufacturing is gaining traction in regulated industries, but broader adoption depends on proven qualification frameworks. This article explores the methodology developed by Qualified AM GmbH, demonstrated through case studies in the semiconductor, rail, and remote manufacturing environments. Whether applying ISO/ASTM 52920, 52904, 52930, 52928, 52901 or industry standards such as ISO 9001, AS/EN 9100, and ISO 13485, Qualified AM supports industry with a scalable, standards-based approach to compliant and decentralised AM production.
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Ten years ago, in the first-ever issue of Metal AM magazine, Materials Solutions was featured as one of the industry’s rising stars. A decade on, with ongoing questions about the wider industry’s progress, we returned to see what the company’s journey reveals. Much has changed, including its acquisition by Siemens Energy (formerly Siemens AG), which fuelled significant growth. Yet the company remains firmly focused on its core expertise: processing nickel-base superalloys for high-temperature applications. Martin McMahon reports on its journey to large-scale series production, including a milestone agreement with Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace and a major investment in Nikon SLM Solutions’ NXG XII 600 machines.
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Artificial Intelligence is reshaping industries, and Additive Manufacturing is no exception. For CEOs, the challenge isn’t just understanding AI’s potential but strategically integrating it to drive efficiency, innovation, and competitive advantage. In this article, Henning Fehrmann, chairman and CEO of FEHRMANN Tech Group, considers AI’s real-world impact on AM. Drawing from personal experience, he offers insights on how AM industry leaders can leverage AI to strengthen their businesses, adapt to market shifts, and stay competitive
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AMS 2025, organised by 3Dprint.com and Additive Manufacturing Research, delivered a stark wake-up call for the Additive Manufacturing industry. Once hailed as a disruptive force, AM is struggling to meet high expectations, with large-scale industrial adoption progressing more slowly than anticipated. The event revealed a disconnect between bold financial projections and market realities, leading to a crisis of confidence among investors and stakeholders. Tali Rosman reports on an industry at a crossroads, facing hard truths and recalibrating for the future.
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As Additive Manufacturing pushes the boundaries of design, post-processing remains a major challenge – in particular powder removal in Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). But what if the digital twin of a part could not only optimise its design, but also predict and streamline powder removal? Here, Joseph Kowen explores how Solukon’s SPR-Pathfinder software achieves this, using advanced simulation to map powder flow and automate depowdering, ensuring that even the most intricate designs remain manufacturable.
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ValCUN’s Molten Metal Deposition (MMD) technology is a wire-based Additive Manufacturing solution designed to improve deployability and cost efficiency in aluminium part production. While applicable across various industrial sectors, it is also being explored for defence applications due to its potential for in-field manufacturing. With its inherent robustness, and the elimination of powder handling, MMD offers a deployable, user-friendly solution for producing critical parts in remote or demanding environments, as well as for seamless integration into industrial production settings.
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In metal Additive Manufacturing, precision and reliability are critical, particularly in highly regulated industries. Ensuring consistent quality requires meticulous laser calibration and process control. 3D Systems addresses this need by integrating advanced laser beam analysis and power measurement solutions from MKS’s Ophir brand. As the company reports, by leveraging Ophir’s high-precision sensors, 3D Systems enhances laser performance monitoring and process stability, helping its customers meet stringent industry standards and produce the highest-quality metal AM components.
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As high-performance computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications drive demand for more powerful processors, thermal management has become a critical challenge. This article explores the development of a generatively-designed and additively manufactured liquid nitrogen (LN2) heatsink, created by 3D Systems and Diabatix in collaboration with SkatterBencher and ElmorLabs, that achieves groundbreaking cooling performance. Thanks to Additive Manufacturing, the resulting pure copper heatsink promises to open up new markets for the technology in this rapidly growing market.
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