Category: Defense

How Airbus Uses 3D Printing for Tools, Jigs, and Lightweight Parts

Post author By Karolina Moskal
Post date October 9, 2026

Aerospace production doesn’t leave much room for error. Every jig, fixture, and tool on the floor has to meet the same standard as the parts it helps produce. Traditionally, that has meant slow, expensive tooling cycles through outside machine shops. Airbus, however, took a different approach: bringing 3D printed jigs and fixtures in-house.

Key Takeaways

Airbus uses UltiMaker 3D printers and Cura software to produce tools, jigs, and fixtures at its European manufacturing facilities.
It also prints lightweight design parts from composite materials.
Printed tooling delivers part-to-part consistency, lower weight, and same-day design iteration.
The same pattern applies across aerospace and defense: jigs, fixtures, inspection gauges, and assembly aids made on-site.

Aerospace technician servicing an aircraft engine

What Is Airbus Using 3D Printing For?

Airbus uses UltiMaker 3D printers and Cura software to locally produce tools, jigs, and fixtures at its European manufacturing facilities, along with lightweight design parts made from composite materials. As a result, engineers don’t route every tooling need through traditional manufacturing. Instead, they design, print, and deploy what they need directly on the floor.

Why 3D Printed Jigs and Fixtures Fit Aerospace Manufacturing

A few things make this approach a particularly strong fit for aerospace production environments:

Consistency and repeatability. Jigs, fixtures, and tooling used in aerospace production need to produce the same result every time. Printed tools offer that consistency without the lead time of machining a new one from scratch.
Weight matters everywhere in aerospace. Composite materials let engineers produce lightweight parts that hold up to production demands without adding mass. In most other sectors, that consideration doesn’t carry the same weight (literally).
In-house iteration speed. When a jig needs a design tweak, an added handle, or a modified fit, the change can go from CAD to printed part the same day. In contrast, an external vendor’s queue can take weeks.

3D Printed Jigs and Fixtures Across Aerospace and Defense

Engineers designing 3D printed jigs and fixtures in UltiMaker Cura

This isn’t unique to Airbus. In fact, across aerospace and defense manufacturing, the same tooling categories keep showing up: custom jigs and fixtures, inspection gauges, assembly aids, and on-demand replacement tooling. All of them can be made on-site. Moreover, each one can be improved the moment feedback from the floor identifies a problem. Similarly, defense maintenance teams follow the same model; see how defense teams are using 3D printing in the field.

Where Dynamism Fits

As an authorized reseller, Dynamism helps aerospace and defense manufacturers identify the right printer and materials for production-floor tooling, from the S-series platform used in examples like this to the higher-throughput Factor line for continuous production. For programs with data-security requirements, the UltiMaker Secure line adds air-gapped, USB-only operation.

Curious what this could look like on your floor? Explore the UltiMaker Secure line → | Talk to a specialist →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Airbus using 3D printing for?

Airbus uses UltiMaker 3D printers and Cura software to locally produce tools, jigs, and fixtures, along with lightweight composite parts, at its European manufacturing facilities.

Why are jigs and fixtures a common 3D printing application in aerospace manufacturing?

They require part-to-part consistency and often need frequent design iteration, both of which 3D printing supports without the lead time of external machining.

Can 3D printed parts meet aerospace material and weight requirements?

Composite materials used in aerospace-grade 3D printing are selected to balance strength with reduced weight, an important factor given how directly weight affects aerospace production and performance.

What printer types are used for aerospace production tooling?

Applications range from desktop-class systems like the UltiMaker S-series for smaller jigs and fixtures to higher-throughput industrial platforms like the Factor line for continuous production environments.

Source: UltiMaker, “3D Printing Solutions for Military and Defense Applications” whitepaper.

Defense Manufacturing

What NIST 800-171 Means for Your Shop Floor’s 3D Printing Setup

Post author By Karolina Moskal
Post date October 9, 2026

If your facility handles Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), NIST 800-171 covers more than servers and laptops. In fact, NIST 800-171 applies to the 3D printer on your production floor, along with every other networked device in your environment.

It’s an easy thing to overlook. A printer making jigs and fixtures doesn’t feel like the same category of risk as a workstation handling engineering data. But if that printer connects to your network, logs to the cloud, or moves files in ways you can’t fully account for, it’s a device your compliance program needs to cover, whether or not anyone has thought to ask about it yet.

Key Takeaways

NIST 800-171 applies to any networked 3D printer in an environment that handles CUI.
Compliance requires documented controls: network isolation, no unauthorized data transmission, and auditable file handling.
Air-gapped (USB-only) printers remove the network as an exposure path; LAN-only may not satisfy stricter frameworks.
Getting it right also unlocks on-demand, same-day tooling from a validated digital catalog.

Operator loading a part into an UltiMaker 3D printer on a regulated shop floor

Does NIST 800-171 Apply to a 3D Printer?

Yes, if the printer is a networked device operating in an environment that handles CUI. NIST 800-171 requires documented controls on networked devices: not vague assurances, but specifics your compliance program can point to. For a NIST 800-171 3D printer setup, that typically comes down to a few concrete things:

Network isolation. Does the printer need to be on your network at all, or can it operate air-gapped, with files moving only by USB?
No unauthorized data transmission. If a printer phones home for firmware updates, usage telemetry, or cloud-based slicing, that’s a data path someone has to account for.
Auditable file handling. Can you show, if asked, exactly how a design file moved from CAD to printed part, and confirm it didn’t touch anything outside your controlled environment along the way?

Why Manufacturing Tools Fly Under the Compliance Radar

It’s worth being precise about what’s being discussed here. These aren’t the machined molds used to churn out thousands of injection-molded parts. They’re the specialized devices that make technicians and engineers more effective: custom jigs, fixtures, inspection gauges, and organizers built for a specific line, part, or fix.

That specificity is exactly why they tend to escape compliance reviews. They look more like shop tools than IT assets, even though, functionally, a networked printer is a networked device either way.

The Case for On-Demand Tooling Under a Compliance Regime

There’s an operational upside to getting this right beyond passing an audit. Facilities that maintain a digital catalog of 3D-printable tools and parts can produce validated components on demand instead of maintaining physical inventory, and when a jig needs a design revision, that change can be tested and reprinted the same day.

The tradeoff is that every one of those advantages depends on the printer being something your security program can actually document and control, not a gap you’re hoping nobody asks about.

Where Dynamism Fits

As an authorized reseller, Dynamism helps regulated manufacturers evaluate which printer setup (air-gapped, LAN-only, or standard) actually matches what their compliance program requires, rather than guessing after the fact. The UltiMaker S8 Secure is built for air-gapped, USB-only operation with no Wi-Fi or cameras.

Not sure what your environment needs? Explore the UltiMaker Secure line → | Talk to a specialist →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NIST 800-171 apply to 3D printers?

Yes, if the printer is a networked device operating within an environment that handles Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). NIST 800-171 requires documented security controls on all networked devices, not just traditional IT equipment.

What makes a 3D printer setup compliant with NIST 800-171 requirements?

Key factors include network isolation or air-gapped, USB-only operation; no unauthorized data transmission such as cloud logging or telemetry; and auditable file handling that can be documented for a compliance review.

Is a standard, cloud-connected 3D printer a compliance risk in a regulated facility?

It can be, if the facility handles CUI or similar controlled data. A printer that transmits usage data, connects to a manufacturer’s cloud, or accepts jobs without access controls introduces a data path that must be accounted for like any other networked device.

What’s the difference between air-gapped and LAN-only printing for compliance?

Air-gapped means the printer has no networking hardware capable of reaching an external network, so files move only by USB. LAN-only means the device still has network hardware but is configured to stay off the internet, which may not satisfy stricter compliance requirements depending on the framework.

Source: UltiMaker, “3D Printing Solutions for Military and Defense Applications” whitepaper.

3D Printing Defense

Inside a $5M Federal Contract: How UltiMaker 3D Printers Reached Navy and Marine Bases

Post author By Karolina Moskal
Post date October 5, 2026

Federal procurement moves slowly, and additive manufacturing is still a relatively new line item for many agencies. So instead of what’s theoretically possible, look at what’s already happened. When evaluating 3D printers for federal agencies, one benchmark stands out: US Navy and Marine bases worldwide now use UltiMaker 3D printers, purchased under a $5 million IDIQ (Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity) contract.

That’s not a pilot program or a single-unit trial. It’s a procurement vehicle already moving hardware into federal facilities at scale, proof that this equipment has already cleared the bar federal buyers care about most.

Key Takeaways

UltiMaker printers are deployed at US Navy and Marine bases worldwide under a $5M IDIQ contract.
Federal facilities require full data control: no unauthorized transmission and no cloud logging of print files.
The UltiMaker S6 Secure and S8 Secure are air-gapped, USB-only, TAA compliant, and GSA ready.
Purchasing paths include departmental budgets (with an ROI case) and DOD requisition programs.

Print farm of UltiMaker Factor 4 and S-series 3D printers for federal agencies

What Does a $5M IDIQ Contract Signal to Federal Buyers?

An IDIQ contract signals something specific: an agency has already vetted a vendor and a product line, then structured a vehicle to draw from repeatedly without re-running procurement every time a base needs another printer. In other words, for a government agency or federal facility evaluating options, that’s a meaningful signal. This isn’t unproven hardware trying to find its first federal customer.

What Full Control Over Data Actually Requires

UltiMaker S6, S8, and Factor 4 3D printers

Meanwhile, federal and defense facilities operate under a constraint that’s easy to overlook until it’s your problem: no unauthorized data transmission, and no cloud-based logging of print files. A printer that phones home by default, even for something as mundane as usage telemetry, introduces a data path that doesn’t belong in these environments.

As a result, that requirement drives the UltiMaker Secure line’s core design: air-gapped, USB-only workflows, no Wi-Fi, no cameras. Files move in and files move out, and nothing leaves the facility without someone physically carrying it out.

Choosing 3D Printers for Federal Agencies: What to Look For

When evaluating a 3D printer for a federal or defense application, a few questions consistently come up:

Is there a secure or offline mode? A printer needs to function without depending on outside connectivity, full stop, not just “when convenient.”
Where is it manufactured, and by whom? Support continuity and supply chain trust both trace back to this. Made in a trusted country matters as much for a 3D printer as for any other piece of federal equipment.
Does it carry the compliance documentation procurement teams need? TAA compliance and GSA availability aren’t just checkboxes; they’re what lets a purchase move through federal acquisition without stalling.

How Do Federal Agencies Purchase 3D Printers?

Federal buyers don’t shop the way commercial buyers do. For that reason, it helps to understand the available paths before starting a purchase conversation:

Departmental budgets are the most common route, but often require building an ROI case that shows the cost and time savings a printer will generate, not just the sticker price.
DOD requisitioning programs vary by need: Program Office Items and the Table of Allowances for standard equipment, Tactical Ad-Hoc for situational needs, and the TLS Program, among other channels, each with its own process.
Every branch, and every country’s military, has its own requisition specifics. That’s exactly where working with an authorized reseller who has navigated this before saves time.

Where Dynamism Fits

As an authorized UltiMaker reseller, Dynamism helps federal buyers identify the right printer for their application and understand how it fits their broader compliance and security requirements. The UltiMaker S6 Secure and S8 Secure are TAA compliant and GSA ready, built specifically for facilities where full control over data isn’t negotiable. For real-world applications, see 8 field-proven parts defense teams are 3D printing.

Not sure which printer fits your environment? Explore the UltiMaker Secure line → | Talk to a specialist →

Frequently Asked Questions

Are 3D printers already being used at federal facilities?

Yes. US Navy and Marine bases worldwide use UltiMaker 3D printers bought through a $5 million IDIQ contract, an active procurement vehicle rather than a pilot or trial.

What is TAA compliance, and why does it matter for a federal purchase?

TAA (Trade Agreements Act) compliance confirms a product is manufactured in the US or a designated country, which is typically required for federal purchases made through GSA channels.

How do federal agencies typically purchase 3D printers?

Common paths include departmental budgets, usually requiring an ROI case, and DOD requisitioning programs such as Program Office Items and the Table of Allowances, Tactical , provisional requests, and the TLS Program. Exact processes vary by branch and agency.

What should a federal buyer look for in a 3D printer beyond price?

Key considerations include a secure or offline operating mode, manufacturing in a trusted country for long-term support continuity, and documented compliance such as TAA and GSA availability.

Source: UltiMaker, “3D Printing Solutions for Military and Defense Applications” whitepaper.

3D Printing Defense Engineering

Why Research Institutions Are Bringing 3D Printing In-House

Post author By Karolina Moskal
Post date October 2, 2026

Some of the most important work at research institutions today stays out of public view, and that’s exactly the point. Labs working on classified, sensitive, or export-controlled projects face a problem few discuss openly. How do you make the custom parts your research depends on without sending a design file outside the building? Increasingly, the answer is in-house 3D printing.

In other words, stop sending the file outside the building at all.

Key Takeaways

Outsourcing fabrication exposes sensitive designs to outside vendors; in-house printing removes that step entirely.
Sandia’s Rapid Development Connectors program targets functional connectors in under four weeks versus a year or more.
Los Alamos automated parts of its 3D-printed foam workflow, saving 20 hours of operator time per print plate.
Air-gapped, USB-only printers let labs work in complete isolation without improvised network policies.

Enclosed UltiMaker 3D printers in research lab cabinets

The Problem With Outsourcing Sensitive Fabrication

Traditional prototyping and small-batch manufacturing usually means sending a design to an outside shop. That might be a machine shop, a specialty fabricator, or sometimes a supplier overseas. For most research, that’s a non-issue. However, for labs under classification requirements or handling export-controlled technical data, it’s a nonstarter. Every file that leaves the facility is a potential exposure point. Likewise, every outside vendor is one more party who has seen a design never meant to be public.

In-house 3D printing solves that problem structurally. Rather than adding another layer of policy, it removes the outside step entirely.

Do National Labs Use 3D Printing for Sensitive Research?

Yes. It’s already standard practice at some of the country’s most sensitive research institutions.

Sandia National Laboratories, a Department of Energy lab operating under the National Nuclear Security Administration, runs a Rapid Development Connectors program dedicated to using advanced manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing, to develop custom electronic connectors for weapons systems. The program aims to fabricate and deliver functional connectors in under four weeks. By comparison, conventional channels take a year or more, and the program keeps the quality standards the work demands.

Los Alamos National Laboratory has automated key parts of its 3D-printed foam research workflow used to support national security missions. As a result, it cut active operator time by 20 hours per print plate and generated far more data for the modeling work built on top of it. The specifics of what’s being modeled stay inside the lab. The efficiency gain from owning the fabrication process doesn’t have to.

Neither institution needs to publish what it’s building to make the underlying case. When a research institution controls its own fabrication end to end, it moves faster and iterates more. Plus, it never has to weigh a design’s sensitivity against a vendor’s turnaround time.

The In-House 3D Printing Principle for Research, Without the Details

UltiMaker Cura slicing software preparing a part for in-house 3D printing

What labs like these demonstrate, without disclosing a specific project, is a workflow principle any research institution handling sensitive work can apply:

Design stays local. Your files go from workstation to printer over your own network and never touch the cloud.
Iteration speed compounds. Faster fabrication cycles don’t just save time on one part; they change how much a research team can afford to test and revise.
Isolation doesn’t have to mean improvisation. An air-gapped, USB-only printer removes the need for ad hoc network policies around a device that shouldn’t touch a secure network anyway.

Where Dynamism Fits

For research institutions weighing in-house 3D printing without a new data risk, start with the question these labs already answered: does the hardware itself support working in complete isolation, or does it require building security around a device that wasn’t designed for it? The UltiMaker S8 Secure is built for the former.

Evaluating a fully isolated printing setup for your lab? Explore the UltiMaker Secure line → | Talk to a specialist →

Frequently Asked Questions

Why would a research institution need a fully isolated 3D printer?

Labs working on classified, export-controlled, or otherwise sensitive projects need to prevent design files from leaving the facility. An air-gapped, USB-only printer removes the network as a possible exposure point entirely.

Do national labs actually use 3D printing for sensitive research?

Yes. Sandia National Laboratories runs a program using advanced manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing, to develop custom connectors for weapons systems, targeting delivery in under four weeks instead of over a year. Los Alamos National Laboratory has used 3D printing to accelerate foam research supporting national security missions.

What’s the difference between a standard lab printer and one built for isolated environments?

A standard printer may connect to Wi-Fi, a manufacturer’s cloud, or a camera for monitoring, any of which can create a data exposure path. An isolated-environment printer removes those features by design rather than relying on network policy alone.

Can bringing fabrication in-house speed up research, not just secure it?

Yes. Institutions that control their own fabrication can iterate on parts the same day rather than waiting on an external vendor, and that advantage compounds over the life of a research project.

Sources: Sandia National Laboratories, in-house advanced manufacturing for connectors; Los Alamos National Laboratory, 3D-printed foams for national security missions. Cited as public examples of the operational principle discussed; specific hardware used by these institutions is not confirmed or implied.

Tags Secure 3D printers

3D Printing Defense

8 Field-Proven Parts: How Defense Teams Are Using 3D Printing Right Now

Post author By Karolina Moskal
Post date October 2, 2026

When a critical part fails mid-mission, waiting weeks for a replacement isn’t an option. That’s the reality driving a quiet shift across defense units and DOD suppliers: defense 3D printing is moving from prototyping into field-deployed manufacturing, producing parts that used to mean a call to a machine shop, a six-week lead time, and a four-figure invoice.

Below are real applications pulled from actual deployments, not hypotheticals. Each one solves a specific operational problem, and each one comes with before-and-after numbers that make the case on their own.

Key Takeaways

Documented defense 3D printing applications cut part costs by roughly 80% to over 95%.
Lead times drop from weeks or months to hours or days, often on location.
Printed parts aren’t just placeholders: a printed composite winch link lifted a 12-ton armored personnel carrier.
For CMMC, DFARS, and ITAR facilities, the printer must be as secure as the part: air-gapped, USB-only, no cloud dependency.

Defense 3D printing: UltiMaker S5 producing a maintenance tool in an F-16 hangar

Defense 3D Printing: The Headline Stories

1. Navy Cold Water Filter

3D printed Navy cold water filter made from PLA and TPU

The problem: Ships need a first-stage filter to keep seaweed, debris, and other material out of the seawater intake system. When a filter fails mid-mission and there’s no replacement aboard, the only options are going ashore or flying a part in by helicopter, and neither is available far out to sea.

The fix: Printed in PLA with a TPU spring component, the replacement filter has held up so well that the printed version is now the standard part on board.

	Conventional	3D Printed
Material	Inconel	PLA / TPU
Cost	€1,600	€30
Lead time	2 months	1 day

Navy cold water filter: conventional vs. 3D printed

Eight of these filters are needed per ship. At those numbers, the cost case makes itself.

2. FRISC Antenna Base

3D printed radio communication bracket in carbon-filled nylon

The problem: The mounting base for the antenna on a high-speed interceptor boat was originally machined from aluminum, and aluminum corrodes fast in a saltwater environment, eventually breaking down the connectors it was meant to protect.

The fix: A glass-fiber-reinforced nylon replacement solved the corrosion problem outright, not just the cost problem, while adding the ability to swap between short- and long-range antenna configurations.

	Conventional	3D Printed
Material	Aluminum	Glass-fiber nylon
Cost	€279	€45
Lead time	6 weeks	20 hours

FRISC antenna base: conventional vs. 3D printed

3. Rotinor Turbine Wrench

3D printed Rotinor turbine wrench in carbon-filled nylon with a non-marring wear layer

The problem: Maintenance on an underwater transport system required a specific custom wrench, the kind manufacturers charge a premium for because it’s a one-off tool with no standard equivalent.

The fix: Printed in carbon-filled nylon with a non-marring outer layer, the tool holds up to the maintenance job without damaging the equipment it’s used on, and can be reprinted on location wherever it’s needed.

	Conventional	3D Printed
Material	Steel	Carbon-filled nylon
Cost	€1,100	€24
Lead time	12 weeks	13 hours

Rotinor turbine wrench: conventional vs. 3D printed

More Field-Ready Applications

The pattern holds across smaller, lower-dollar items too, proof this isn’t just a big-part story:

4. GPS/radio communication bracket: €120 → €25, customizable for different radio equipment, printed in carbon-filled nylon for impact and vibration resistance during transport.
5. EPI pen casing: €20 → €6, a rigid printed case with tactile indicators soldiers can identify in low-visibility conditions.
6. Binoculars fixture: a simple, low-cost printed mount that gives optics a fixed location across ships, lookout points, and vehicles.
7. Multi-key tool: printed sets replacing stainless steel keys at a fraction of the cost, with the ability to print exactly the number needed per operator.
8. Gasoline funnel extension: a chemical-resistant, semi-flexible printed part solving a spillage problem that didn’t have a good conventional fix at all.

Can 3D Printed Parts Handle Real Structural Loads?

12-ton M113 armored personnel carrier lifted with a 3D printed carbon fiber winch link

Yes, and that’s what takes these applications beyond convenience. In one material-performance test, the Royal Dutch Navy used a carbon-fiber-composite winch link, printed on an UltiMaker S5, to lift a 12-ton M113 armored personnel carrier. It’s a direct demonstration that printed parts can hold up under genuine structural load, not just serve as placeholders.

On the maintenance side, the Royal Netherlands Air Force uses UltiMaker 3D printers to produce custom tooling for the upkeep of Chinook, Apache, NH90, and F-16 aircraft, putting printed tools directly into the maintenance workflow for some of the most demanding equipment in their fleet.

Why This Matters for Defense Contractors and DOD Suppliers

Every example above shares the same underlying logic: when the part isn’t in stock, isn’t in reach, or would take months to source through traditional channels, the ability to print it on-site in hours instead of weeks, at a fraction of the cost, isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s operational readiness.

For facilities operating under CMMC, DFARS, or ITAR requirements, there’s a second layer: the printer producing these parts needs to be as trustworthy as the part itself. That’s where an air-gapped, USB-only system like the UltiMaker S8 Secure earns its place: no wireless attack surface, no cloud dependency, and full control over where design files go.

Ready to see which printer fits your environment? Explore the UltiMaker Secure line → | Talk to a specialist →

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of parts are defense units actually 3D printing today?

Real deployed examples include replacement filtration components, antenna mounts, custom maintenance tooling, communication brackets, and personal field gear, ranging from structural, load-bearing parts to smaller ergonomic and organizational items.

How much can 3D printing save compared to conventional manufacturing?

In documented defense cases, cost reductions ranged from roughly 80% to well over 90%, with lead times dropping from weeks or months to hours or days, depending on the part and material.

Can 3D printed parts hold up to real structural loads, or are they just for prototypes?

Yes, they can. In one material-performance test, a 3D printed carbon-fiber-composite winch link was used to lift a 12-ton armored personnel carrier, showing that printed parts can serve load-bearing roles, not just placeholder or prototype functions.

What should a defense contractor look for in a 3D printer for CMMC, DFARS, or ITAR environments?

Air-gapped, USB-only operation with no Wi-Fi or cameras, TAA compliance, GSA availability, and manufacturing in a trusted country are the core requirements most defense buyers evaluate first.

Sources: UltiMaker Application Development, Defense (AE team); UltiMaker, “3D Printing Solutions for Military and Defense Applications” whitepaper.

Tags Aerospace, Department of defense, DoD, military grade, Secure Printers