Info
We’re starting with 3D printing for energy applications in this weekend’s 3D Printing News Briefs, and then moving on to military and defense 3D printing. Finally, Nike Sportswear is focusing on the future of Air Max with the help of designers in its new Air Works Program.
Voronoi gradient density foam enclosed by a solid outer shell with a diameter of 550 µm. This inertial confinement fusion target was printed using Nanoscribe Quantum X shape.
3D microfabrication company Nanoscribe announced that in Q1 2026, it had secured several orders for its Quantum X two-photon polymerization (2PP) 3D printing system. The orders are for three international organizations in North America and Asia at the forefront of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE), and they will use the Quantum X systems to print IFE targets. IFE is regarded by many as a pathway with a lot of promise for clean energy in abundance, but a necessity of the process is fabricating complex targets with high precision, and at increasing scale, all the way from early research to operational power plant volumes. Nanoscribe’s technology, centered around its patented Two-Photon Grayscale Lithography (2GL) technique, can help achieve this by pairing scalable throughput and sub-micrometer accuracy. The company says its 2GL offers more than 4,000 gray levels, which enables ultra-smooth surfaces with nanometer-scale roughness—perfect for rapid printing of highly filigree struts in the interior of the IFE target shells.
“The strong market demand for our Quantum X systems in the field of IFE target manufacturing underscores the rapid technological advances we have achieved. Since our founding in 2007, print rates have increased by a factor of 1.9 per year, equivalent to an improvement of five orders of magnitude,” said Martin Hermatschweiler, Nanoscribe CEO and Co-Founder. “We are committed to driving 2PP throughput along this trajectory in the years ahead. We are leading 2PP into its most transformative era, laying the groundwork for IFE-based power plants expected to go online commercially in the mid-2040s.”
Stratasys is a Program of Record for the U.S. Air Force and Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), and has been continuing to grow its role in offering advanced manufacturing services in aerospace and defense production environments. As demand for AM in defense applications continues to rise, the company announced that Stratasys Direct, its parts-on-demand contract manufacturing division, was chosen to participate in the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Joint Additive Manufacturing Acceptability (JAMA) IV Pilot Parts Program. The multimillion-dollar initiative is meant to speed up qualification and deployment of 3D printed parts across military systems and platforms, something in which Stratasys Direct has plenty of experience. For example, the U.S. Air Force already uses Stratasys technology to print microvanes for its C-17 fleet, which have helped improve aerodynamic efficiency and save roughly $14 million in annual fuel costs
“In 2025, Stratasys saw double-digit annual revenue growth from aerospace and defense, demonstrating that additive manufacturing is becoming a key capability for defense sustainment and supply chain resilience. Stratasys Direct already ships over 100,000 parts annually to the defense industry, and programs like JAMA will accelerate qualification of parts so organizations can deploy them faster across operational platforms,” said Foster Ferguson, Vice President, Industrial Business Unit, Stratasys.
“Through Stratasys Direct, we combine Stratasys technology with production-scale additive manufacturing services and deep engineering expertise to help defense organizations validate and produce components that keep mission-critical systems operational.”
Velo3D Sapphire 3D printer. Image courtesy of Velo3D.
Another AM company working with the DLA on its JAMA Pilot Parts Program is Velo3D, which recently received a $9.8 million, five-year Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract supporting the initiative. The contract with Velo3D sets up an acquisition pathway for DLA to acquire qualified 3D printed parts to support readiness requirements across multiple branches of the U.S. military. Per the award, Velo3D will use its Rapid Production Solution (RPS) framework and industrial-scale metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) technology to print components that often face diminished manufacturing sources, long lead times, and limited availability from domestic suppliers. The company’s RPS integrates application engineering expertise, distributed production capacity, and its advanced Sapphire printers, all of which are assembled in the U.S.
“Additive manufacturing provides the Department of War with a powerful tool to improve supply chain responsiveness and reduce sustainment risk. Through this contract, Velo3D worldclass technology is supporting DLA’s efforts to expand qualified additive manufacturing capacity and transition advanced manufacturing technologies into operational sustainment environments,” said Dr. Arun Jeldi, CEO of Velo3D.
Late last year, aerospace and defense, energy, and industry supplier FasTech LLC placed a $1.7 million order with AML3D for its large-scale ARCEMY X 6700 system. The Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAM) printer was recently installed and commissioned on time at FasTech, and is fully operational, thus completing the order. The large-scale system will help FasTech, located near the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AMCOE) in Danville, Virginia, enhance its metal AM capabilities, and also boost AML3D’s U.S. defense profile. The ARCEMY X 6700 was supplied to FasTech from AML3D’s U.S. Technology Centre in Stow, Ohio, where the company is working to double its manufacturing capacity to meet the continued demand from the country’s defense sector, and emerging demand in industrial manufacturing.
“AML3D is seeing US demand for ARCEMY® systems that deliver high quality parts and components with significantly shorter lead times, using less energy and creating less waste continue to grow. Delivery of the FasTech ARCEMY® X order further demonstrates application of AML3D’s industrial metal 3D printing technology to solve for manufacturing and supply chain challenges beyond Defence and into new industrial manufacturing sectors. The FasTech order follows our entry into the US energy and utilities sector with a custom ARCEMY® X coming online at the Tennessee Valley Authority, the 6th largest energy supplier and largest public utility in the US, last August,” said AML3D’s CEO Sean Ebert.
“The completion of the FasTech order enhances AML3D’s position as an indispensable industrial manufacturing solution in the US market. To ensure we continue to meet the strong and growing Defence and industrial demand for our advanced manufacturing technology we are currently executing on our plans to invest A$12 million to double capacity at our manufacturing and technology centre in Stow, Ohio.”
Nike Sportswear is launching its inaugural Air Works R&D and design program, welcoming eight individual designers from Beijing, Los Angeles, London, New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Paris, and Tokyo to its Beaverton, Oregon headquarters next month to make sure that the future of Air Max is designed by the people who wear it. From May 11-14, these designers will work alongside Nike engineers and designers to come up with new, distinctive 3D printed Air Max styles that reflect their communities and individuality. These shoes, created in partnership with Zellerfeld, will build upon the brand’s 40-year heritage of Air innovation, and make sure the shoe has a place in the future. During the process, the Air Works designers will work with their Nike mentors and visit places like Blue Ribbon Studio, Nike’s Air Manufacturing Innovation facility, the Department of Nike Archives, the Nike Sport Research Lab, and the Bowerman Footwear Lab. Finally, each designer will get to launch a limited-run version of their shoe style, which will be celebrated in their communities all the way to Air Max Day 2027.
🏷️ p3d_feed“Air Works is about celebrating the cultural impact of Air Max and inviting a core group of global creatives to imagine what its future could look like. It’s also a chance to deliver a deep dive in Air Max history, innovation and inspiration, and to unite outside perspectives with Nike-only tools, talent and capabilities to redefine what Air Max means to this generation,” said Andy Caine, VP, Creative Director, Nike Sportswear.