DEEP Manufacturing and Fortius Metals partner on multi-material WAAM production

DEEP Manufacturing, a Japanese large-format metal additive manufacturing specialist, has entered a joint development project with Fortius Metals, a Colorado-based advanced metal materials company, to commercialize multi-material wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM). The collaboration will use DEEP Manufacturing's synchronized multi-robot WAAM system to produce cylindrical parts that combine different alloys within a single build. The project begins with test coupons and small cylinders, with full-scale cylinder fabrication scheduled for mid-2026. This marks the first major project since DEEP Manufacturing opened its $10 million Houston, Texas production facility, which positions the company to serve North American energy, aerospace, and defense customers with large-format DED capacity.

This partnership addresses two converging frontier challenges in metal additive manufacturing: scaling WAAM beyond single-material builds and proving that multi-material DED can achieve production-grade repeatability. In the DED segment, where build speed and part size are the primary advantages, the ability to deposit different materials - for example, a corrosion-resistant alloy in one region and a high-strength alloy in another - could unlock significant design freedom for large components such as pressure vessels, rocket domes, or marine propellers. The technology remains at an early validation stage; the critical question is whether Fortius Metals' simulation and materials expertise can control thermal distortion and interfacial quality at scale. The project's timing also aligns with growing US defense and energy interest in large-format AM, though DEEP Manufacturing must demonstrate that its Houston-based service model can compete with established Western DED providers like Lincoln Electric's Wolf Robotics or Sciaky.

For the DED segment to move beyond niche repair and near-net-shape applications, multi-material capability must transition from laboratory demos to qualified production. This project is a meaningful test case - but the real work lies in the joint process qualification, not the announcement. DEEP Manufacturing must show that its multi-robot synchronization can deliver dimensional tolerances and material integrity that meet energy-sector certification standards. Buyers in oil and gas or aerospace should wait for the as-built data before weighing this approach against conventional welding or single-material WAAM.