3D Systems to host Korea AM seminar with aerospace and defense metal 3D printing case studies

3D Systems will hold an additive manufacturing technology seminar in Seoul, South Korea on July 9, 2026, featuring dedicated sessions on metal 3D printing for aerospace and defense components. The event, titled "Additive Manufacturing Technology Seminar Series Part 1 — Industry-Specific Implementation Cases and Manufacturing Innovation Strategies," will be held at the Infostorm Building in Gangnam-gu and includes three core sessions covering total AM solutions, polymer indirect manufacturing applications, and metal printing production cases for aerospace and defense parts. The seminar also offers a showroom tour and is followed by a Part 2 session on August 27 focused on design optimization and practical techniques for defect-free production. 3D Systems is positioning this as a knowledge-sharing platform for Korean manufacturers facing complex processes and high costs.

This seminar reflects 3D Systems' strategic push into the Korean market, where defense spending is accelerating under politically driven procurement modernization and where aerospace qualification pathways are being actively developed. The company is leveraging its dual polymer and metal portfolio to address two distinct value-chain positions: polymer indirect manufacturing (patterns for casting and vacuum forming) reduces tooling cost and lead time for industrial tooling and prototyping, while metal LPBF production targets high-value aerospace and defense serial parts. This mirrors a broader industry pattern where Western OEMs invest in regional technical enablement to counter growing Chinese AM competition in Asia, particularly from BLT and Farsoon, which have been expanding their Korean presence with lower-cost metal systems. The emphasis on indirect manufacturing also signals that 3D Systems recognizes the economic reality that many Korean manufacturers will adopt AM first through tooling and pattern applications before committing to direct metal part production.

For Korean manufacturers evaluating AM adoption, the practical takeaway is that 3D Systems is offering a structured, two-part curriculum that separates the lower-risk polymer indirect path from the higher-barrier metal production path. The company must deliver concrete cost and lead-time data from Korean reference cases, not just global examples, to build credibility in this market. Buyers should attend with specific part families in mind and expect to see qualification documentation, not just machine demonstrations, to assess whether the aerospace and defense cases translate to their own certification environments.