In high-temperature propulsion applications, it is materials that set the boundaries of what is possible. Additive Manufacturing may have changed how we build components, but it hasn’t necessarily changed what extremes these components can endure in service. NASA’s GRX-810 oxide-dispersion-strengthened superalloy tackles that constraint head-on: a high-temperature alloy designed, unlike legacy alloys, specifically for AM. Here, NASA’s Tim Smith and Paul Gradl explain how GRX-810 was developed, what has been demonstrated to date, and the pathway to commercial success.
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The inaugural Vicenza Symposium, which took place from September 2-4, 2025, brought jewellery manufacturers, researchers and industry leaders to Italy’s ‘Capital of Gold’ for three days of technical exchange in the UNESCO-listed Basilica Palladiana. Metal Additive Manufacturing featured prominently, from a striking Bulgari case study to research on hard-to-build precious metal alloys and emerging work on the Binder Jetting of gold. In this report, Michela Ferraro presents insights from three selected presentations, based on in-depth conversations with the authors.
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As manufacturers push towards higher Additive Manufacturing throughput, the limitations of traditional support removal methods become increasingly visible. Manual practices cannot reliably meet the safety, repeatability, and cost targets required for industrial Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB). toolcraft’s SupportBlaster 320-HA offers a semi-automated alternative, using dry-ice pellets to detach supports in a controlled manner. In this article, Joseph Kowen reviews the technology’s development, underlying process physics, and experimental data, highlighting its relevance for more scalable metal AM production.
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As metal Additive Manufacturing shifts toward larger, higher-value components, conventional AM simulation often fails to scale and remains focused on prediction rather than actionable process improvement. PanOptimization’s PanX seeks to address this gap with a scalable, high-fidelity Finite Element Analysis (FEA) solver for PBF-LB and DED that supports feed-forward optimisation of parameters, timing, and distortion compensation. In this article, Erik Denlinger and Pan Michaleris examine the technical innovations enabling next-generation AM simulation and the commercial implications for throughput and yield, as well as market directions.
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Denmark’s AM Summit 2025, held on October 1 alongside the HI Tech & Industry Scandinavia Expo in Herning, offered a clear snapshot of the country’s fast-maturing AM scene. With a new format aimed at production-focused SMEs, the event drew many first-time attendees and sought to strengthen links between AM innovators and traditional manufacturers. Across keynotes and panels, speakers explored the current shift from prototyping to manufacturing that delivers resilience and measurable value. Here, the Danish AM Hub’s Rikke Uldall-Ekman reports on event highlights.
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Additive Manufacturing’s promise isn’t in ‘printing everything’ – it is in knowing exactly where to apply the technology. At Domin, a UK manufacturer of motion control products, CEO Marcus Pont’s team uses the technology sparingly yet decisively, exploiting AM-enabled innovations and its potential to deliver complex internal geometries. The twist? A focus on steel. Too often overlooked for titanium or aluminium, maraging steel underpins robust, precise, and efficient hydraulic products. Martin McMahon explores the disciplined use of AM as powerful tool: performance first, costs controlled, and selectively delivering impact at scale.
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The notion of a digital warehouse encapsulates the potential of cloud-based digital twins, produced locally and on demand by Additive Manufacturing. This approach promises increased efficiency, sustainability, and resilience against trade barriers and logistical disruptions. In the Winter 2021 edition of Metal AM, an initial survey established a baseline of practice in digital spare parts. In this article, Joseph Kowen revisits that foundation, analysing subsequent developments, persistent challenges, and the evolving industrial and geopolitical factors influencing the adoption of additively manufactured spare parts.
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As space missions push towards 100 kW nuclear fission systems and megawatt-class propulsion, thermal management is becoming a critical bottleneck. Backed by NASA programmes and working with 3D Systems, researchers at Penn State and Arizona State universities are leveraging metal AM to develop titanium radiator panels with integral heat pipes and NiTi components for self-deploying systems. Tests under simulated orbital conditions showed more than 50% performance gains, proving AM’s potential to cut mass and boost efficiency in spacecraft cooling.
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At the 21st Plansee Seminar, it became clear that Additive Manufacturing has firmly established itself within the refractory metals and hard materials community. Presentations covered the full process spectrum – from powder handling and melt pool modelling to in-situ control and post-processing – with results directly relevant to industrial adoption. As Bernard North reports, work on molybdenum, tungsten, rhenium and niobium highlighted practical paths toward dense, reliable components for energy, aerospace and nuclear fusion technologies, marking a decisive step from laboratory feasibility to engineered applications.
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As global threats mount, Europe is falling behind the US and China in deploying Additive Manufacturing as a defence capability. While these powers integrate AM to enhance readiness and resilience, Europe risks being outpaced by fragmented efforts and slow adoption. Calum Stewart, former Army Engineering and Logistics Officer and now Director of Defence Programmes at SPEE3D, draws on insights from Maj Gen Ed Dorman (Ret), former Commander of the US Army’s 8th Theater Sustainment Command; Kieron Salter, CEO of the Digital Manufacturing Centre; and Michail Efthymiadis of General Dynamics European Land Systems.
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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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