Feature Coverage

Manufacturing features and analysis

Longer-form reporting on plant operations, manufacturing technology, workforce strategy, and capital decisions.

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Additive ManufacturingJuly 22, 2026

The Navy Just Printed 1,000+ Parts Underway: Inside RIMPAC 26's USS Essex, the Pentagon's Largest Distributed-Manufacturing Live Fire

During RIMPAC 2026, the amphibious assault ship USS Essex became the centerpiece of what the Navy calls the largest advanced-manufacturing demonstration in Department of War history. The headline number — 1,000-plus parts made underway — belongs to Firestorm Labs' containerized polymer platform, not the metal hybrid cell it is often conflated with. Here is what actually printed, what it means for contested logistics, and the read-through for the additive supply base.

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Additive ManufacturingJuly 4, 2026

The Pentagon's Additive Budget Jumped 83% to $3.3B — and Velo3D's $9.8M DLA Contract Is the Tell

The Department of War's FY2026 request carries roughly $3.3B tied to additive manufacturing across 16 programs, an 83% jump. But most of that is industrial-base money. The real signal is a cluster of spring-2026 awards — led by Velo3D's $9.8M DLA contract — that pay to qualify production parts, not print demos.

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Additive ManufacturingJune 28, 2026

The Navy's Biggest Shipbuilder Is Now Printing Hull Parts: Newport News Commissions Wire-Arc Metal AM and Orders Four More Machines

Newport News Shipbuilding has commissioned its first two AML3D ARCEMY X wire-arc metal printers and ordered four more, building toward a six-machine in-house fleet for ship-component fabrication. Here's what the deal actually buys the Navy's most demanding supply chain — and what the numbers really say once you sort the Australian dollars from the U.S. ones.

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