Meeting the Demands of Defense Production and Sustainment Through Additive Manufacturing

January 29, 2026

U.S. military members on the show floor of the “RAPID + TCT” event last year. The event claims to be North America’s largest additive manufacturing and 3D printing event.

When a chilled water pump failed aboard a U.S. guided missile destroyer, maintainers ran into an all-too-familiar problem. The six-blade cooling rotor they needed to repair the pump could not be purchased on its own. Replacing it via conventional channels would have required buying an entirely new pump, a process that would have taken weeks or months and cost upwards of $300,000.

Rather than wait, the Navy opted to print the part. At the Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, engineers used an industrial polymer 3D printer to produce a replacement with strength comparable to the original aluminum part, but at a significantly lower weight. The initial prototype cost less than $20. The final, certified version came in at just over $100. After testing, it was installed aboard the ship, restoring functionality with minimal downtime and avoiding hundreds of thousands of dollars in replacement costs.

This is just one example of how the U.S. defense industrial base is embracing additive manufacturing (AM) to address mounting production and sustainment pressures. As fleets age, original suppliers exit the market or discontinue low-volume parts, and operational tempo accelerates, traditional manufacturing pathways are often too slow, too rigid, or too expensive to meet readiness demands. AM is increasingly being seen as the practical alternative.

Industrial 3D Printing Moves Up the Defense Agenda

The growing reliance on industrial 3D printing reflects a broader shift in defense priorities. The U.S. Department of War (DoW)’s FY 2026 budget request includes $ 3.3 billion for initiatives related to AM , a year-over-year increase of more than 80 percent. That increase is tied to two pressing needs: developing new products at speed and sustaining legacy platforms where traditional supply chains are falling short.

Much of the current fleet was designed decades ago , supported by suppliers who no longer exist or by tooling that is no longer available. Meanwhile, new defense systems, such as drones and counter-drones, place different demands on manufacturing. Designs can change quickly, and traditional tooling can be slow to adapt. Industrial 3D printing makes it possible to produce high-mix, low-volume (HMLV) components without rebuilding entire production lines. As a result, AM is now being used across the product lifecycle, from printing flight-certified drone components to replacing damaged parts months ahead of schedule.

A Maturing AM Market

As AM adoption increases, the challenge is no longer demonstrating its technical viability but scaling it reliably. To address this, the defense industrial base is leveraging a variety of approaches to production and supply. Some companies are expanding their role in the supply chain through contract manufacturing. Others are moving toward greater vertical integration, investing heavily in capital equipment and materials to deliver end-to-end production solutions under one roof.

Established defense suppliers are seeking out non-traditional partners with additive expertise, while some newer additive-focused companies are engaging directly with the DoW. In January 2026, Velo3D secured a $ 32.6 million contract to work with the DoW’s Defense Innovation Unit, the Navy, and a major prime on prototyping and qualifying additively manufactured components to relieve production bottlenecks in a key weapons program. In fact, the company points to aerospace and defense contracts as one of the primary drivers of its recent multi-million-dollar growth . That same momentum can be seen across the AM industry. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), for instance, recently awarded a $ 4 million contract to JuggerBot 3D to develop a large-scale hybrid additive system. Meanwhile, 3D Systems received a $ 7.65 million Air Force contract focused on metal AM for high-speed flight applications.

These developments point to an industrial 3D printing market that is maturing beyond isolated use cases. The emphasis is now shifting toward repeatability, responsiveness, and integration into broader manufacturing workflows — priorities that align closely with the operational demands of defense manufacturing.

A jet engine featuring 3D-printed parts.

Qualification, Workforce, and Data Access

As AM becomes more deeply embedded within the defense industrial base, new issues are coming into focus. Qualification and certification continue to be among the most significant. Defense and aerospace applications demand repeatability, traceability, and performance under extreme conditions. To meet those standards, suppliers must be able to produce additive parts at a consistent quality across platforms and services. Many of the certifications required for defense manufacturing mirror those used in transportation, but not all suppliers have made the investment in getting their companies certified.

Workforce constraints present another hurdle. Efforts to close these gaps — including federally-funded programs and industry initiatives such as SME’s Mission Critical: Workforce 2030 — are underway. Still, workforce development remains a bottleneck for expanding domestic production capacity.

There is also a growing recognition that digital infrastructure must evolve alongside physical infrastructure. To successfully leverage AM for sustainment, suppliers will need controlled access to component-level product models. Without secure, standardized mechanisms for sharing this data, suppliers will likely struggle to fully realize industrial 3D printing’s promise of speed and flexibility.

Establishing the Systems That Enable AM at Scale

Industrial 3D printing is becoming part of the readiness infrastructure that determines how quickly the military can adapt, develop, and maintain systems and equipment. Supporting and accelerating the current rate of adoption will rely on deliberate coordination between industry, government, and the workforce responsible for executing production. It will also require shared forums where lessons from the field can be examined, standards aligned, and practical production approaches compared.

One such forum is RAPID + TCT . Co-produced by SME and the TCT Group, this annual event brings together manufacturers, technology providers, and stakeholders from government, industry, and academia to explore how additive processes and technologies can be integrated and deployed across verticals.

As demand for additive solutions grows, the extent to which the technology can be leveraged at scale in defense applications will depend on the systems built around it — including clear qualification pathways and improved workforce readiness. AM is already proving its value under real-world conditions. The next challenge will be building the infrastructure, workforce, and production capacity needed to sustain AM’s expanding role in defense.

This article was written by Stacey Eeman, Director of Industry Strategy, SME. RAPID + TCT 2026 will take place from April 13-16 at the Thomas M. Menino Convention & Exhibition Center in Boston. For more information, visit www.rapid3devent.com .