Air Force Supports Development of Large Format Metal 3D Printer Demonstrator

September 11, 2025

By Woodrow Bellamy III

The 3D Systems facility located in Rock Hill, South Carolina. (Image: 3D Systems)

3D Systems will continue its development of large format metal 3D printing technology under a new $7.65 million contract awarded by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to the South Carolina-based company.

The two-year contract award is the next phase of an Air Force program that 3D Systems has been working on since 2023. Under the new contract, 3D Systems will develop a new 3D printer capable of printing large format "flight relevant" structures.

"This is a clean sheet design to test/mature multiple technologies at large scale (1m³ build volume). It is not a product improvement of an existing system. Successful technologies from this effort will be rolled into product improvements and new commercial systems when mature," Dr. Michael Shephard, Vice President, Aerospace & Defense Segment, 3D Systems, said in an emailed statement.

According to Shephard, the new 3D printer demonstrator will be capable of very large format Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF). Direct Metal printing (DMP) is the official brand name of 3D Systems' proprietary LPBF technology.

The 3D Systems white paper , "Titanium Process Capability Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion," notes that their DMP components are often manufactured in Ti6Al4V, "because of the alloy’s compelling material properties, such as biocompatibility, high strength-to-weight ratio, and excellent fatigue properties."

3D Systems has been working with the Air Force and other branches of the Department of Defense (DoD) since 2019 to advance the agency's adoption of additive manufacturing. The contract that the Air Force previously awarded the company in 2023 also focused on the development of a large format metal 3D printer demonstrator, specifically for "hypersonic-relevant additive manufacturing capabilities."

Although the company was unable to share specific details, Shephard said that there are already many USAF and DoD aircraft flying today with parts printed on 3D Systems printers.

"Production for new-build aircraft and spare parts is ongoing. Numerically, the most important application family has been polymer ducts," Shephard said.

3D Systems will continue to perform the work for their latest contract at their locations in San Diego, California and Rock Hill, South Carolina.

The 3D Systems contract is the latest example of the Air Force's growing adoption of metal additive manufacturing technology. In April, the 911th Airlift Wing announced an achievement of significant savings in replacement costs for their C-17 Globemaster III fleet by 3D-printing the aircraft's obsolete drip pan, under a collaboration with Boeing. The 35th Fighter Wing also hosted its first ever additive manufacturing and design course to train Airmen on the technology at Misawa Air Base, Japan in August.