The current UAS Additive Methods on-line occasion, hosted by 3DPrint.com and Additive Manufacturing Analysis (AM Analysis), introduced collectively leaders from throughout the additive manufacturing (AM) and drone industries to debate one of many trade’s largest challenges, methods to manufacture drones at scale. Firms together with EOS, HP, Prusa Analysis, Stratasys, Firestorm Labs, DrukArmy, and representatives from the U.S. Military shared how they see AM shaping the subsequent era of drone manufacturing.
One theme that got here up through the occasion was that scaling drone manufacturing would require greater than merely including extra printers or producing extra components.
“UAS leaders are borrowing from the automotive playbook. They’re taking a look at how the automotive trade achieved scale, precision, and repeatability, and asking how those self same concepts will be utilized to drones,” stated David Krzeminski, Enterprise Growth Supervisor for Polymer at EOS, through the occasion’s keynote presentation. “Scale isn’t nearly producing extra components. It’s multidimensional. Supplies, software program, manufacturing processes, and the broader ecosystem all must work collectively to help drone manufacturing.”
David Krzeminski, EOS, through the UAS Additive Methods on-line occasion. Picture courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Kilian Riplye, Director of Additive Manufacturing for Protection at Prusa Analysis, stated desktop 3D printers are additionally altering how producers take into consideration scaling manufacturing.
“One of many largest benefits of additive manufacturing is flexibility. If one machine fails, you possibly can swap it out and hold manufacturing operating. As an alternative of counting on one massive industrial system, producers can add 5, 10, 20, and even 100 printers as demand grows. For the price of one high-end industrial machine, you possibly can deploy round 40 production-ready Prusa printers,” Riplye identified.
That problem is changing into extra pressing as drone manufacturing grows. Scott Dunham, Government Vice President of Analysis at AM Analysis, stated manufacturing volumes are anticipated to develop dramatically over the subsequent decade, creating new alternatives for additive manufacturing.
“In UAS, we’re speaking about roughly 17 to 18 million drones being produced this yr. That’s practically 900 million components, and we’re projecting that determine to strategy 2 billion components over the subsequent decade,” Dunham stated. “Geopolitical urgency, provide chain fragility, and regulatory uncertainty have all come collectively to make additive manufacturing a way more engaging answer than it was just some years in the past. Navy adoption is fast-tracking additive manufacturing into the core of the drone market, however that’s vital for the business sector as properly as a result of it establishes additive manufacturing in a wholly new approach.”
Scott Dunham from AM Analysis through the UAS Additive Methods on-line occasion. Picture courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
As demand grows, audio system agreed that producers will want manufacturing strategies that may sustain with speedy design modifications. Not like many conventional manufacturing processes, 3D printing permits corporations to replace designs shortly with out ready for brand new tooling, making it properly fitted to drone manufacturing. At this time, it’s already getting used to fabricate end-use airframes, housings, brackets, ducts, sensor mounts, RF parts, and light-weight structural components.
Emily Levin, Unmanned Programs Software Engineer at HP, stated the corporate has seen that transition firsthand: “We noticed early on that additive manufacturing would play a crucial position in drones, so we constructed a devoted UAS crew to work carefully with the trade,” Levin stated. “At this time, greater than 30 OEMs are producing drones with HP know-how, and we’ve gone from getting airframes into individuals’s arms to serving to producers scale to tens of hundreds of drones. It’s not solely attainable—it’s commercially viable.”
That speedy progress can also be altering how drones are developed. Joris Peels, Government Editor and Vice President of Consulting at 3DPrint.com and AM Analysis, stated the trade has moved past easy innovation and into speedy product growth.
“Ukraine will most likely make round eight million FPV drones this yr. Prices have fallen from about $2,000 to roughly $180. That’s not simply innovation anymore. It’s product growth,” Peels stated. “We’re seeing drones being developed for particular targets, particular ranges, and particular payloads. It’s actually product growth and market segmentation occurring in actual time.”
Trio is the primary business spinning-wing UAV with vertical take-off and touchdown functionality, with as much as two hours of steady hover. Picture courtesy of Prusa Analysis.
Dunham moderated a panel on tactical drones, which he referred to as “some of the related segments.” He requested the panelists what additive is providing, or may provide, this class of drone.
“All the advantages of additive actually apply – the speedy iteration, the mission-specific payloads, the light-weight structuring, the lowering tooling, the mitigation of conventional tooling prices,” stated Conrad Smith, International Director, Aerospace and Protection for Stratasys.
James Humann, Mechanical Engineer, U.S. Military DEVCOM Military Analysis Laboratory, stated one of many first occasions he ever critically used additive was to “put quadcopters within the arms of Marines.”
“The most attention-grabbing results of combining additive manufacturing with UAVs was exhibiting the Marines that they may modify these themselves,” Humann defined. “We’d get suggestions in a short time from struggle video games, and they might need lighter payloads or regardless of the case could also be. We confirmed them that they may truly do that, you may make a easy CAD file or discover an present one on Thingiverse or wherever, and we are able to present you methods to print this in order that tomorrow, for the subsequent train, you’ll have the modified drone that you really want.”
Alexandre Donnadieu, Chief Industrial Technique Officer at KrateoSky, agreed with Smith, particularly on iteration velocity and with the ability to shortly modify and adapt the drones to what’s wanted.
“The pace of innovation is the place I believe additive manufacturing could make the largest distinction. I’ve seen in Ukraine large underground factories with a room crammed with 3D printers which are operating continuously. That is very thrilling to see.”
A panel on strategic drones, moderated by Howie Marotto, Principal ADDvisor® of Technique and Integration, The Barnes International Advisors, mentioned attending to the subsequent degree of scaling additive for drones.
“The appliance has grown from ‘Oh, that’s intriguing,’ to ‘That materials has this functionality, the place does it match into manufacturing?’ It must be economical, and designed in accordance to that commerce,” stated Steve Fournier, Technical Director, Additive & Converging, Basic Atomics Aeronautical Programs. “No one cares about additive if it doesn’t serve the mission of the platform.”
Ian Muceus, Firestorm Labs, at UAS Additive Methods 2026. Picture courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Ian Muceus, the Co-Founder and CTO of Firestorm Labs, talked about taking a look at how additive can truly enhance one thing that’s already fairly good, like a carbon fiber drone body. It’s robust sufficient as is, however what occurs if you happen to break an arm off? The corporate used its DfAM and supplies data to create a body “that’s a bit of extra offset” and ended up being about 75g lighter than the unique carbon fiber one.
Neil Glazebrook, CEO of GBI Group LLC, says that additive is simply one other instrument within the instrument chest, like CNC machining, and that always, the choice to select one know-how over the opposite can come right down to monetary causes. He talked about actually seeing additive “take over for drones” at the beginning of the Ukraine struggle, which I believe is true for lots of people.
The ultimate panel, moderated by Dave Dietrich, Director, {Hardware} Gross sales and Help, PADT, was about manufacturing on the sting. An ideal instance was a 3D printed decoy antenna for drones that DrukArmy CEO Jake Volnov confirmed everybody.
“You can’t simply sit within the workplace and picture that. You could discuss to the individuals within the fox holes,” he stated.
Dietrich famous that Ukraine has turn out to be an actual world laboratory for speedy innovation and manufacturing, and requested the panelists what manufacturing practices ought to be reconsidered in mild of this. Are all the additional necessities and laws actually crucial? What are among the shortcuts?
“We have now seen extra want for engineering demonstration, and information to help efficiency, however as a result of these are unmanned, it’s far much less stringent than if you happen to have been to attempt to put additive components onto a business airplane,” stated Dan Fernback, Vice President, JuggerBot 3D, which works with drones in among the larger UAS group numbers. “The paperwork isn’t completely eradicated, nevertheless it’s made it simpler to maneuver shortly.”
Spencer Koroly, Enterprise Growth Operationalization Supervisor, Phillips Federal, stated that for the decrease UAS teams, they’re seeing extra certifications for the electronics on drones than for the 3D printed airframes.
“As far as doing course correction, what we’ve seen is we’re slowly transferring in direction of the Ukrainian course. Construct one thing that matches the mission and meets the necessities, after which adapt in a short time on the mechanical parts. However even for MRO parts, the federal authorities has been pushing closely towards the correct to restore,” Koroly stated.
“There’s an enormous push in direction of getting substitute components, get the tools working once more, and we’ll work by way of the certification on the again finish if we have to.”
Though a lot of the dialogue centered on protection, audio system additionally emphasised that the business alternative is increasing shortly. Matt Kremenetsky, Senior Analysis Analyst at AM Analysis, stated among the largest alternatives might come from industries seeking to enhance employee security.
“Rising drone adoption by way of the top of this decade will doubtless be strongest in industries seeking to cut back the variety of employees uncovered to harmful jobs. Meaning inspecting energy grids, bridges, nuclear amenities, mining operations, and oil and gasoline websites.”
Matt Kremenetsky at UAS Additive Methods 2026. Picture courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
In accordance with AM Analysis, AM in drones represented roughly $140 million in 2025 and will strategy $900 million by 2034, making drones one of many fastest-growing manufacturing markets for industrial 3D printing.
The occasion lined each subject associated to 3D printed UAVs. Audio system talked about every little thing from desktop 3D printers producing tactical drone components to industrial steel additive manufacturing, together with distributed manufacturing, battlefield logistics, and provide chain resilience. For an trade on the lookout for its subsequent main manufacturing alternative, many audio system made the case that drones are already it.
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