3D Systems is adding up to 80,000-square-feet to its Littleton, Colorado facility as part of its plans to enhance its Aerospace & Defense Application Center of Excellence.
The Littleton facility has been selected for certification under the America Makes JAQS-SQ framework.
This effort, under the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining, in collaboration with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) aims to scale defence industrial base capabilities for qualified additive manufacturing production, enabling accelerated qualification and deployment of additively manufactured defence components.
3D Systems’ Littleton facility will be able to provide its extensive quality infrastructure – established through 3D Systems’ medical technology business – to the effort. In line with this activity, the company is expanding capacity for application development, process qualification, validation and manufacturing.
Additionally, 3D Systems is progressing on schedule in its multi-phase, $18.5 million U.S. Air Force-sponsored program to develop next-generation laser powder-bed fusion technologies for large-format, high-efficiency metal part production.
The company is forecasting its A&D business to have grown over 15% in 2025 with a 20% growth slated for 2026.
“Aerospace and defence customers worldwide increasingly require a reliable partner that delivers qualified, scalable solutions with speed, security, and supply chain resilience – supported by deep regional expertise and seamless global capabilities,” said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, President and CEO of 3D Systems. “Our Littleton expansion and strategic investments are significantly strengthening our US-based Application Center of Excellence with advanced engineering, qualification-ready platforms, and expanded production capacity – dramatically accelerating the path from prototype to mission-critical deployment and improving outcomes for customers across our U.S., European, and international operations. Recent U.S. policy developments, including NDAA provisions, provide an additional tailwind that aligns closely with our ongoing domestic investments.”
“We are prioritising A&D applications where additive manufacturing delivers maximum mission impact – from shipbuilding and advanced defence systems to aviation and space,” said Dr Mike Shepard, Vice President, Aerospace & Defence business at 3D Systems. “Our broad technology portfolio and ability to co-develop and efficiently scale critical applications have been key to our success.”
