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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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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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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