Home-Lockheed Martin Scales LPBF for Thermal Management Parts in Hypersonic and Aircraft Systems
Lockheed Martin, the US aerospace and defense company, is advancing laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing to enable faster operational readiness for next-generation aircraft, hypersonic systems, and electric propulsion platforms. The effort is tied to supply chain resilience and to shorter design-to-flight timelines for thermal management components used in aerospace and defense manufacturing.
High-performance electronics and propulsion systems generate significant heat and require thermal management systems to maintain stability and regulate temperature levels. Thermal management components have traditionally relied on casting, forging, and brazing, followed by metal fabrication and machining to meet aerospace-grade tolerances and reliability requirements. Those processes create a supply chain choke point due to longer raw-material lead times, alloy shortages, surging aftermarket demand, and disruptions linked to geopolitical events. Laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing builds parts layer by layer using metal powder, without expensive and time-intensive tooling. Components can be produced in smaller quantities with precision, supporting shorter development cycles and faster deliveries.
In 2024, Lockheed Martin’sMissiles and Fire Control facilityopened a 16,000-square-foot additive manufacturing space. The site includes some of the largest format, multi-laser machines in Texas, along with heat treatment and inspection equipment for rapid development and production of additive manufactured parts across the corporation. That work includes collaboration withSintavia, a US metal additive manufacturing company,EOS, the German industrial 3D printing systems manufacturer,Nikon SLM Solutions, a supplier of metal additive manufacturing equipment, andnTop, an engineering design software company. David Tatro, vice president, Operations Transformation at the aerospace firm, said, “Combining our laser powder-bed fusion expertise with the specialized capabilities of our partners — Sintavia, EOS, Nikon SLM, and nTop — has created an end-to-end ecosystem that accelerates design-to-flight timelines without compromising reliability.” He added that the collaborative approach is intended to meet the thermal management demands of next-generation aircraft, hypersonic systems, and electric propulsion platforms while meeting certification standards and supporting operational readiness.
The collaboration is aimed at qualification and production transition of high-performance, thin-walled components for aerospace, defense, and high-energy systems. With nTop, Lockheed Martin’s use of generative design and optimization tools has delivered a 15-20 percent reduction in overall system weight and a 10-15 percent increase in heat dissipation efficiency. Christopher Yakacki Ph.D., principal of Research Engineering, AMT, Lockheed Martin, said, “nTop enables highly complex parametric models that optimize for performance and manufacturability, which reduces the time to make decisions and iterate from months to minutes.” Work with EOS and Sintavia has also produced a new laser powder-bed fusion processing window and bespoke tool path strategies that push the limits of feature resolution and producibility. Process-controlled tool paths, combined with real-time melt pool monitoring, have enabled tighter assembly tolerances and enhanced build efficiency.
Third-party sensor systems and AI-enabled analysis are also being integrated into production workflows to detect defects early and reduce post-processing inspection workloads, with real-time data automatically flagging suspect area zones. Those zones, paired with developments in computed tomography inspection of additively manufactured parts, are supporting accelerated part qualification and building confidence in analysis and inspection capabilities. Lockheed Martin identified the UH-60M BlackHawk and PrSM among the platforms using this laser powder-bed fusion technology, which it says can support higher production rates, affordability, and scalability.
Lockheed Martin additive manufacturing capacity and supply chain constraints
Lockheed Martin’s latest laser powder-bed fusion push follows an earlier expansion of itsmetal additive manufacturing capacity in Texas. In 2024, the aerospace and defense manufacturer opened a 16,000-square-foot additive manufacturing facility at its Missiles and Fire Control site in Grand Prairie, adding large-format Nikon SLM Solutions systems, described at the time as some of the largest multi-laser LPBF machines in Texas, alongside heat treatment and inspection equipment. That facility mattered because it moved additive manufacturing closer to production use inside one of Lockheed Martin’s existing machining hubs. Company executives also tied the site to lower lead times, reduced material waste, and the ability to produce lightweight near-finished parts with geometries that conventional manufacturing could not easily achieve.
A broader constraint came from the US push toreduce supply chain fragility in manufacturing. When the Biden administration launchedAM Forwardin 2022, the program focused on expanding 3D printing adoption among small and medium-sized suppliers as inflation, pandemic disruption, and the war in Ukraine exposed weaknesses in industrial sourcing. Lockheed Martin joinedGE Aviation,Honeywell,Raytheon, andSiemens Energyas an initial participant. Under that framework, Lockheed Martin and Honeywell committed to support research into alternatives to forging and casting, directly linking additive manufacturing to the same production bottlenecks highlighted in the current announcement. That policy backdrop helps explain why LPBF is being positioned not simply as a design tool, but as a way to reduce dependence on slower conventional metalworking routes.
3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing cancomplete the call for speakers form here.
Source: 3D Printing Industry
