Industrial additive manufacturing took several steps toward repeatable production during September 7–13, 2026. The week’s most consequential announcements concerned inspection, hybrid machining, factory-floor capacity, qualified materials, and production access. For small and midsize manufacturers, that is an encouraging signal. Additive manufacturing earns its place when it shortens a real lead time, removes a tooling bottleneck, or makes a difficult part practical—not simply because it can create a complex shape.
1. EWI Will Lead a $13.2 Million AM Quality Program
EWI announced that America Makes selected it to lead INSITE, a three-year, $13.2 million program focused on quality assurance for critical directed energy deposition parts. Directed energy deposition, or DED, adds metal by feeding powder or wire into a heat source. It can build or repair large components, but verifying internal quality after a build can be slow and expensive.
INSITE is intended to combine data gathered during printing with targeted nondestructive evaluation, or NDE—inspection that does not damage the part. EWI says the system will analyze process data, thermal and visual images, and eddy-current array signals. Artificial intelligence and machine learning would identify areas for closer post-build inspection, while a qualified professional remains responsible for reviewing and approving the plan. Aerospace manufacturers and technology suppliers are participating.
Why it matters: Qualification and inspection costs can erase the time advantage of metal AM. A credible, standards-linked method for focusing inspection effort could improve the economics of critical parts without lowering accountability.
Who is affected: Defense and aerospace suppliers are the immediate audience, but the underlying approach matters to any manufacturer that must prove part quality and traceability.
Practical takeaway: When evaluating AM for production, include inspection, data retention, and acceptance criteria in the business case from the start. Read EWI’s INSITE program announcement.
2. Stratasys Introduces the Large-Format F870
Stratasys launched the F870, a fused deposition modeling, or FDM, system built for large factory-floor tooling, fixtures, manufacturing aids, and selected end-use parts. The machine has a 1,000 × 610 × 610 millimeter build volume and a fully heated chamber. Stratasys lists nine supported materials, including Nylon 12CF carbon-fiber composite, ASA, ABS-M30, and a new ABS Draft material.
Toyota Production Engineering in Kentucky and Rivian Automotive in Michigan are assessing early systems for applications including tooling, assembly aids, gauges, and prototyping. Their participation matters because automotive plants judge equipment by uptime, workflow fit, repeatability, and useful output. Performance and savings still need application-by-application evaluation; the claims come from the manufacturer and early adopters.
Why it matters: A larger build area allows a plant to print full-size fixtures or consolidate several components in one job. The heated chamber and engineering polymers are aimed at reducing the dimensional and material limitations that restrict smaller extrusion printers.
Who is affected: Automotive, aerospace, defense, and general manufacturers with large tools or low-volume production aids are the main targets.
Practical takeaway: Large format is valuable only when the machine, material, fixture tolerance, and finishing plan match the job. Review Stratasys’s F870 announcement and early automotive deployments.
3. ORNL and Mazak Combine WAAM with Five-Axis Machining
Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Mazak developed the VC-Ez WAAM platform, a hybrid cell that connects wire arc additive manufacturing with five-axis machining. Wire arc additive manufacturing, or WAAM, deposits ordinary welding wire with an electric arc to create a near-net shape—a part that is close to final geometry but still needs precision machining.
The platform uses a Fronius WAAM system, two Mazak VC-Ez 20X machining centers, and an automated pallet transfer system. After deposition, the pallet moves the workpiece to milling for final surfaces and dimensions. Mazak says the setup is intended for high-mix, low-volume work while retaining a path to more repetitive production. Applications include structural repair, rapid tooling, and large metal shapes.
Why it matters: Metal deposition and machining solve different parts of the problem. WAAM can place material quickly; machining delivers holes, interfaces, surface finish, and tolerance. Connecting them through shared fixturing reduces handling and alignment work.
Who is affected: Job shops, repair operations, heavy equipment suppliers, and manufacturers considering large metal AM could benefit most.
Practical takeaway: Compare hybrid workflows against the full conventional route, including stock procurement, rough machining, welding, setup changes, and finish machining. See Mazak’s description of the VC-Ez WAAM platform.
4. KONGSBERG Adds Multi-Laser Metal AM Capacity
KONGSBERG said it acquired two metal powder bed fusion systems from AMCM, an EOS affiliate: an AMCM M 4K and an AMCM M 290-2 1KW. Powder bed fusion selectively melts thin layers of metal powder to build a component. They are planned for KONGSBERG’s main production facility in Norway.
The company says the systems will support full-scale sections for technology demonstrators, product qualification, and flyaway hardware in defense programs. That sequence—demonstration, qualification, then end-use hardware—shows that buying capacity is only the beginning.
Why it matters: The investment shows a major defense manufacturer bringing more AM capability inside its normal development and manufacturing organization rather than treating printing as a separate research activity.
Who is affected: Defense suppliers, aerospace manufacturers, and firms supplying powders, heat treatment, machining, inspection, and qualification services may see downstream demand.
Practical takeaway: Plan the complete process chain before purchasing equipment, especially for regulated or safety-critical work. Read KONGSBERG’s additive manufacturing investment announcement.
5. Apple Extends 3D-Printed Titanium into New Products
Apple introduced two products with additively manufactured titanium components. The company’s first foldable iPhone, iPhone Duo, uses a 3D-printed grade 5 titanium hinge cover with a micro-blasted finish. Apple also says the titanium version of Apple Watch Series 12 uses a 3D-printed case. In both announcements, Apple states that the printed titanium component contains 100 percent recycled titanium.
This is a useful production signal because the components are designed for visible, tightly packaged consumer hardware rather than an isolated prototype. Apple did not disclose the additive process, production volume, yield, unit cost, or supplier arrangement in these releases, so conclusions about economics should remain limited. The confirmed point is that additive manufacturing is part of the released product design.
Why it matters: High-volume consumer products impose demanding requirements for appearance, fit, repeatability, and supply-chain execution. They can push process control and material recovery forward.
Who is affected: Consumer-electronics suppliers, metal AM service providers, powder producers, finishing specialists, and designers of compact assemblies should watch the application.
Practical takeaway: Additive is most compelling when geometry, material use, assembly, and finishing are designed together. Review Apple’s announcements for the 3D-printed iPhone Duo hinge cover and 3D-printed Apple Watch Series 12 titanium case.
6. Nickel-Copper Alloy Gets a Defined LPBF Process Route
Eplus3D and Young-Will Aerospace reported completing laser powder bed fusion process validation for a nickel-copper alloy on the EP-M400 system. The work focused on process parameters and scan strategy. Eplus3D says the project produced crack-free components with tensile strength of 570 megapascals, 18 percent above conventionally forged comparison parts.
Those figures should be treated as company-reported results. The release does not identify the exact alloy designation, test standard, specimen orientation, heat treatment, number of samples, or independent verification. Even so, the project illustrates the process development required for corrosion-resistant alloys.
Why it matters: Industrial metal AM expands one qualified material-process combination at a time. Special alloys can unlock complex, consolidated parts, but only when cracks, segregation, density, mechanical properties, and repeatability are controlled.
Who is affected: Aerospace, energy, chemical-processing, and fluid-system manufacturers are the most relevant audiences.
Practical takeaway: Do not treat a printable alloy as a qualified process. Ask for the material specification, parameter set, test method, heat treatment, acceptance limits, and lot traceability. Read Eplus3D’s nickel-copper process report.
7. Freemelt Expands from Systems into Component Production
Freemelt announced that it is adding manufacturing services for qualified advanced metal components alongside its electron beam powder bed fusion systems business. Electron beam powder bed fusion, or E-PBF, uses an electron beam in a vacuum to melt metal powder. The offering spans design, process development, qualification, inspection, and delivery.
Freemelt describes the move as a response to customers that want qualified parts and capacity without owning a production system. Its market-size and financial projections are company estimates and should not be treated as independent forecasts. More relevant is the operational shift toward a complete route from application development to delivered component.
Why it matters: Many manufacturers have suitable AM applications but not enough volume, staff, or capital to justify bringing a specialized metal process in-house.
Who is affected: Buyers in medical, defense, fusion, and other advanced sectors gain another service option; existing AM service providers may face broader competition from equipment companies moving downstream.
Practical takeaway: For occasional or developing applications, compare qualified outside production with ownership using realistic utilization, staffing, maintenance, post-processing, and inspection costs. Read Freemelt’s manufacturing-services strategy announcement.
What This Means for Industrial Additive Manufacturing
Three patterns connect the week’s news. First, the supporting workflow is becoming as important as the printer. EWI and the ORNL-Mazak cell address what happens during and after deposition. Second, established manufacturers are committing AM to practical production environments: Stratasys, KONGSBERG, and Apple are committing AM to practical production environments. Third, access models are widening. Freemelt is offering delivered components while material-process development continues to add specialized alloys.
For regional manufacturers, the sensible response is not to chase every new machine. Start with a costly delay or difficult component. Define quantity, operating conditions, tolerance, material, inspection, and deadline. Then decide whether polymer extrusion, metal AM, a hybrid route, or conventional manufacturing offers the best total result.
Conclusion
This week’s developments point toward a more disciplined production era for additive manufacturing—one built on inspection evidence, connected machining, qualified materials, and clearly defined applications. If your operation has a replacement part, fixture, jig, prototype, or short-run component that is slowing work, contact Stuntz Manufacturing to review the requirement. You can also compare the materials Stuntz Manufacturing prints before starting the conversation.
Sources
- EWI, “EWI Selected to Lead $13.2 Million America Makes Program to Advance Additive Manufacturing for the Defense Industrial Base,” September 8, 2026. Direct source.
- Stratasys, “Toyota and Rivian Adopt Stratasys’ New F870 to Accelerate Factory-Floor Manufacturing Applications at Scale,” September 9, 2026. Direct source.
- Mazak Corporation, “Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Mazak Collaborate, Develop the VC-Ez WAAM Additive Manufacturing Platform,” September 9, 2026. Direct source.
- KONGSBERG, “KONGSBERG Accelerates Innovation in Defence Systems Through Investments in Additive Manufacturing,” September 10, 2026. Direct source.
- Apple, “Apple Unveils iPhone Duo,” September 9, 2026. Direct source.
- Apple, “Introducing Apple Watch Series 12, with the All-New Health Sensing System,” September 9, 2026. Direct source.
- Eplus3D, “Eplus3D Supports Young-Will Aerospace in Nickel-Copper Alloy Additive Manufacturing Process Validation,” September 8, 2026. Direct source.
- Freemelt, “Freemelt Is Building Europe’s Industrial Platform for Qualified Advanced Metal Components,” September 9, 2026. Direct source.