Defense industry

Additive Manufacturing in the Defense Sector

Produce mission-critical components on demand using additive manufacturing, enabling armed forces to operate anywhere in the field, rapidly adapt to changing requirements, and keep equipment reliably functioning under extreme conditions.

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Additive Manufacturing in the Defense Sector

Challenges

What does the defense sector demand – and what is our solution

Environmental Resistance

3D-printed components play a critical role in significantly improving the environmental resistance of components in the defense sector. Through the use of advanced high-performance materials, additive manufacturing enables the production of parts that withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, and corrosion v conditions commonly encountered in harsh operational environments. The technology also facilitates the integration of protective coatings and surface treatments directly during or after the printing process, further increasing the service life and durability of the parts.

High-Performance Materials

In the defense sector, high-performance materials are essential for durability, strength, and reliability under extreme conditions. The integration of 3D-printed components has significantly enhanced these properties, offering both material and design advantages. Additive manufacturing enables the production of complex geometries and structures that are difficult or impossible to realize with conventional manufacturing methods. This allows the production of lightweight yet strong components – critical in defense applications, where weight savings directly impact fuel efficiency, mobility, and overall performance. Furthermore, 3D printing facilitates the use of advanced materials such as high-strength alloys, composites, and heat-resistant polymers in precise, customizable form. These materials can be optimized for specific functions, including impact resistance, stress resistance, thermal stability, and corrosion resistance, thereby increasing the reliability of defense equipment in harsh environments.

High-Security Parts Management

To prevent external counterfeiting, unauthorized distribution, information leaks, and internal misuse of sensitive 3D-printed components, access to all associated design data – such as CAD and STL files – can be strictly controlled. Controlled access systems allow manufacturers to define who may access the digital files, limit the number of permitted prints or applications, and restrict production to secure environments, ensuring complete traceability and compliance. By managing these parameters, organizations can protect intellectual property, maintain operational security, and exercise strict control over the production of critical parts, effectively minimizing the risk of unauthorized replication or use.

Operational Resilience in the Field

The rapid, on-demand production of components plays a key role in maintaining operational resilience, as essential parts can be produced quickly and reliably when needed. This approach supports the rapid repair and maintenance of vehicles, machinery, and equipment by supplying hard-to-source or obsolete components, even when traditional procurement would cause delays. Furthermore, flexible manufacturing enables the production of custom parts, tools, and fixtures tailored to specific technical requirements, improving functionality and efficiency. By leveraging digital part data and decentralized production, organizations can reduce inventory levels, strengthen supply security, and remain operationally capable during extended or disrupted supply chains.

End-Use Components

ULTEM™ 9085 is a remarkable high-performance thermoplastic filament that offers exceptional physical and mechanical properties, making it ideal for demanding defense applications.

As one of the strongest Stratasys® FDM materials, ULTEM™ 9085 offers an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, delivering high structural performance at minimal system mass — critical for defense equipment such as UAV components, vehicle mounts, communication housings, and rugged field systems. The material features a tensile strength of approximately 70 MPa, a tensile modulus of approximately 2,400 MPa, and a flexural modulus of approximately 2,400–2,500 MPa, providing the stiffness and load-bearing capacity required under both static and dynamic conditions.

Beyond strength, ULTEM™ 9085 demonstrates excellent impact resistance, outstanding chemical resistance, and dimensional stability at temperatures up to 153 °C (HDT at 1.8 MPa). It is flame-retardant and meets stringent FST (Flame, Smoke, and Toxicity) requirements such as UL 94 V-0, making it suitable for safety-critical environments where security and survivability are paramount.

Printed on the Stratasys® F900™ system, the combination of process control and certified ULTEM™ 9085 enables precise, repeatable, and reliable results. This proven platform allows defense manufacturers to accelerate production cycles, improve component readiness in the field, and reduce overall logistics costs – bringing agility, traceability, and certified quality to mission-ready additive manufacturing.

Properties

Tensile Strength: approx. 70 MPa (ASTM D638, XZ orientation)
Tensile Modulus: approx. 2,400 MPa
Flexural Modulus: approx. 2,400–2,500 MPa
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT @ 1.8 MPa): approx. 153°C

Use cases

Communication device brackets
Air ducts

High-End Prototyping

Somos® WaterShed® Black is a high-performance SLA resin developed to produce rigid, durable, and tough components in true black directly from the printer, without the need for painting or additional post-processing.

This material combines excellent mechanical properties, a smooth surface finish, and superior resistance to moisture, making it particularly well-suited for demanding defense applications. The resin's high moisture resistance ensures reliable performance even in challenging operational environments.

These combined properties make Somos® WaterShed® Black a dependable choice for defense equipment where durability, environmental resistance, and true black coloring are essential for both functional and tactical purposes.

Properties

Tensile Strength: approx. 50 MPa
Tensile Modulus: approx. 2,770 MPa
Elongation at Break: approx. 15.5%
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT @ 1.81 MPa): approx. 49–50°C

Use cases

Prototypes of electro-optical and ISR systems
Test parts for vehicles and weapon systems
Full-scale system demonstrators

End-Use Components

Stratasys® PA12 combined with chemical smoothing integrates SAF™ technology with post-processing to produce robust nylon components with smooth surfaces for demanding industrial applications. Stratasys® SAF™ PA12 offers a tensile strength of approximately 47 MPa, an elongation at break of up to 11%, and a heat deflection temperature of 173 °C (HDT @ 0.45 MPa), supporting good stiffness and load-bearing capacity of the components.

Post-processing through chemical smoothing significantly improves surface quality, can reduce roughness by up to approximately 90%, and increases impact resistance as well as mechanical isotropy, with typical processes having only minimal effects on critical dimensions. Key material properties include low moisture absorption and a UL94 HB flammability classification, ensuring durability and thermal stability.

The H350™ printer utilizes SAF™ to selectively fuse PA12 powder with High Absorption Fluid (HAF), enabling high-volume production with consistent dimensional accuracy (typically ±0.2% or ±0.2 mm, whichever is greater) and fine detail resolution in the range of approximately 0.3 mm. The components are printed in powder blocks and must be depowdered before chemical smoothing, whereby controlled solvent vapors seal the surfaces and minimize porosity. In the defense sector, SAF™ PA12 with chemical smoothing is particularly suitable for fixtures, brackets, housings, and lightweight tactical components, offering a combination of impact resistance, chemical resistance, and smooth, FOD-reduced surfaces for on-site assembly.

Properties

Tensile Strength: approx. 47 MPa (XZ/YX orientation)
Elongation at Break: approx. 11%
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT @ 0.45 MPa): approx. 173°C

Use cases

Rigid, impact-resistant housings for electronics, sensors, and communication devices
Custom assembly aids that withstand repeated use and mechanical stress

Fixtures and Brackets

Nylon 12 CF by Stratasys® is a carbon fiber-reinforced Nylon 12 thermoplastic for FDM 3D printing that offers an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, making it ideally suited for demanding aerospace and defense applications such as fixtures and tooling. The material achieves the highest flexural strength among Stratasys® FDM materials at 142 MPa in the XZ axis, offers superior stiffness, and a heat deflection temperature of 143 °C for lightweight components. The 35% carbon fiber content increases dimensional stability, impact resistance (85 J/m notched IZOD in the XZ axis), and chemical resistance, ensuring reliable performance under repeated use in aerospace environments. These properties enable the production of conformal fixtures for flexible components, such as sheet metal assemblies, while maintaining precision for drill guides and other tooling. In aerospace and defense applications, Nylon 12 CF can replace metal in fixtures and tooling, offering a high stiffness-to-weight ratio that reduces component weight without compromising durability.

Properties

Flexural Strength: approx. 139–145 MPa
Tensile Strength: approx. 62–68 MPa
Heat Deflection Temperature (HDT @ 1.8 MPa): approx. 140–145°C

Use cases

Lightweight, high-strength fixtures for field and production applications to reduce operator fatigue and increase efficiency
Drill guides and alignment tools for precise assembly of vehicle and aircraft components