This week across additive manufacturing: Expanded aerospace and defense contracts in metal AM — L3Harris, Materials Solutions, and 6K Additive; Prosumer FDM hardware and ecosystem expansion — Bambu Lab, Snapmaker, and BIQU.
Expanded aerospace and defense contracts in metal AM — L3Harris, Materials Solutions, and 6K Additive
Contractors and service providers adopted or secured major metal AM supply agreements and government contracts to scale production of flight-critical components, satellite hardware, and feedstock.
L3Harris Technologies is utilizing laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to manufacture satellite thruster components, including nozzles and manifolds, at its Daytona Beach, Florida facility. The company reports that transitioning these parts from subtractive machining to LPBF reduces production lead times by up to 12 months. These niobium components are currently flight-proven for national security satellite missions.
Materials Solutions, a Siemens Energy business, has been selected as a supplier for Rolls-Royce civil aerospace additive manufacturing programs. The agreement formalizes a decade-long collaboration, tasking the Worcester-based firm with producing flight-critical engine components using nickel-based superalloys and titanium alloys. The partnership focuses on serial production for aerospace hardware, with the service provider managing the process validation required for engine certification.
6K Additive has been awarded a $1.95M Phase II contract from the US Defense Logistics Agency to upcycle domestic scrap metal into additive manufacturing powders. The 18-month program utilizes the company's UniMelt plasma technology to process Nickel, Titanium, Tungsten, and C103 Niobium alloys collected from Department of Defense depots. This contract follows the company’s recent expansion of its North Andover, Massachusetts production facility and a February 2026 supply pact with Siemens Energy to upcycle spent nickel alloy powder.
Prosumer FDM hardware and ecosystem expansion — Bambu Lab, Snapmaker, and BIQU
Prosumer hardware manufacturers integrated multi-material and tool-changing capabilities to reduce cycle times and material waste, while aftermarket providers expanded interoperability for popular closed-loop desktop systems.
Bambu Lab has scheduled the launch of its X2D flagship FDM 3D printer for April 14, 2026. The system features a 256 x 256 x 256 mm build volume and a dual-extrusion architecture that pairs one direct-drive extruder with one Bowden extruder. Priced to start at approximately $1,000, the unit is intended to bridge the gap between the company's existing P2S and X2C models, specifically targeting professional studio environments and print farm operators.
Snapmaker recently launched the U1 desktop FDM 3D printer, which features a four-toolhead SnapSwap system designed to facilitate multi-material printing via tool changes. By utilizing a tool-changer architecture, the system aims to reduce the cycle times and material waste associated with the purge-tower methods common in single-nozzle multi-material systems. The machine, which follows a $20.61 million Kickstarter campaign, incorporates Klipper-based firmware and is retailing for $999.
BIQU, a brand under BigTreeTech, has released the BMCU-370, an open-source multicolor printing accessory designed for compatibility with Bambu Lab’s A1 and P1 series printers. The module serves as a direct third-party alternative to the manufacturer’s proprietary Automatic Material System (AMS) Lite. This release follows a pattern of third-party hardware development for closed-loop systems, providing users with an interoperable option for multicolor capabilities without requiring original manufacturer hardware.
These developments, occurring alongside the April 1, 2026, discontinuation of the legacy X1 series, indicate that manufacturers are prioritizing high-speed, automated multi-material handling in their current hardware portfolios. Whether these diverse approaches to multi-material production—ranging from Bambu Lab’s proprietary dual-extrusion and AMS to Snapmaker’s independent tool-swapping—will see one architecture emerge as the standard for prosumer FDM remains to be seen.
This Week in Brief
Funding
- 3D Hubs — 3D Hubs raised $7 million in Series B funding led by EQT Ventures for its distributed manufacturing platform with over 5,000 systems.
- ELM Fabrication — ELM Fabrication faces operational uncertainty after the liquidation of its funding conduit, EIT Manufacturing.
Product & Technology
- Graphy — Graphy's 3D-printable soft denture liner, GR-C, achieves a storage modulus range of 0.4 to 4.4 MPa, matching oral mucosa elasticity.
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology — KIT's CeraMMAM project aims to integrate ceramic and metal materials within a single continuous additive manufacturing process.
- Mechnano — Mechnano expanded its portfolio with ESD-safe resins using a proprietary carbon nanotube dispersion technology for photopolymer processes.
- Mausa3D — Mausa3D added HP Multi Jet Fusion technology at its San Sebastian facility to scale production of end-use polymer components.
- KIT — KIT researchers developed a binder-based multi-material additive manufacturing process to combine ceramic and metallic components.
- VulcanForms — VulcanForms demonstrated its multi-laser LPBF metal additive manufacturing technology at the RAPID + TCT 2026 AeroDef showcase.
- Ultra Metal Powders — Ultra Metal Powders now focuses on producing metal powders specifically engineered for industrial LPBF and binder jetting processes.
- Hankook Precision Works — Hankook Precision Works uses LPBF metal 3D printing to manufacture high-precision, complex sipes for tire molds.
Partnership
- Purple Platypus — Purple Platypus secured a national distribution deal for the full portfolio of Formlabs SLA and SLS 3D printing systems.
- Formlabs — Formlabs appointed Purple Platypus as a US distributor for its SLA and SLS systems, materials, and technical support services.
- Wipro 3D — Wipro 3D and Toyota Kirloskar Motor partnered to launch an additive manufacturing Centre of Excellence at the Toyota Technical Training Institute.
- Amaero — Amaero signed a titanium powder supply contract worth A$7.8 million to support its production goals through FY2027.
- trinckle — trinckle integrated its design automation applications directly into the Stratasys GrabCAD Print Pro software environment.
M&A / Corporate
- Hanwha Aerospace — Hanwha Aerospace terminated a Poongsan division acquisition to prioritize aerospace investments, including a 4.99% stake in Korea Aerospace Industries.
Compiled from 22 sources across AMPulse's news index. Week 16 of 2026.