Partners Lab becomes first Korean company to join US Department of War's DMX exercise for on-site 3D-printed field parts

Partners Lab, a Korean additive manufacturing company, and the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH) became the first Korean organizations to take part in the US Department of War's Digital Manufacturing Platform (DMX) exercise, running roughly one month from mid-June through July 17, 2026 alongside the RIMPAC 2026 naval exercise. DMX tests whether secured digital design files and approved manufacturing procedures for military equipment parts can be transmitted to forward sites and printed on demand instead of shipping physical components from rear depots. During the exercise, Partners Lab and KITECH validated file transfer over secured channels, management of approved manufacturing data, forward-site production procedures, and quality control for additively manufactured parts.

The exercise addresses a specific vulnerability in wartime logistics: when sea and air resupply routes are contested or cut, missing spare parts can ground equipment and erode operational readiness faster than personnel losses. Sending a digital blueprint instead of a physical part narrows that exposure window and lets an approved forward facility produce spares locally. Korea's inclusion suggests its additive manufacturing base is now viewed as credible enough to plug into the forward-production framework the US military is building around Indo-Pacific regional sustainment hubs, extending bilateral defense cooperation beyond weapons platforms into digital manufacturing and supply chain resilience.

No contract, funding commitment, or follow-on production order was disclosed alongside the exercise results.