Home-Italy Bets on Distributed AM for Naval Readiness with the DIANA Defense Program
Naval spare parts logistics, built around centralized warehouses and extended supply chains, has long been a structural vulnerability in defense readiness. 3D printer manufacturerROBOZEis leading DIgitales partes Ad Necessitatem Armatorum (DIANA), a research and development initiative backed by theItalian Ministry of Defenceunder the National Military Research Plan, to dismantle that dependency.
The program replaces it with a secure, distributed digital manufacturing infrastructure capable of identifying, reconstructing, and producing components at or near the point of use, whether in operational hubs or containerized units deployed in the field.
The consortium behind it brings togetherDonexit S.r.l.from theTinexta Defence group, engine manufacturerIsotta Fraschini Motori S.p.A.,NESST S.r.l., andPolitecnico di Bari, under the scientific supervision of Prof. Gianluca Percoco, Full Professor of Manufacturing Technologies and Systems at the university.
The technical architecture DIANA is developing spans the full lifecycle of a spare part emergency. It begins with the identification of damaged components aboard naval units, moves through digital reconstruction via reverse engineering for parts that are no longer available through conventional channels, and proceeds to technical validation before decentralized production begins. Throughout, secure management of data and production files remains a core requirement, a non-negotiable in defense contexts where intellectual property and operational security are at stake.
As project leader, ROBOZE coordinates the hardware, software, and digital workflow development that ties these steps together into a repeatable, scalable system. Simone Cuscito, Chief R&D & Product Officer at ROBOZE, framed the operational ambition clearly, “Through digitalization and additive manufacturing, we can bring component production directly close to the point of use, drastically reducing intervention times and strengthening the operational readiness of naval units.”
Dual-Use Potential Beyond the Navy
While DIANA is designed around naval defense requirements, the consortium is explicit about its wider relevance. Prof. Percoco noted that the technologies being developed carry “strong dual-use value, capable of generating impact both in the defense sector and in many civilian industrial applications.”
The infrastructure for identifying, reconstructing, and locally producing mission-critical components on demand is not inherently military, it is a model that heavy industry, maritime shipping, and remote industrial operations have been searching for as well.
Once completed, DIANA is expected to demonstrate that distributed digital manufacturing is not a contingency workaround but a viable strategic layer for defense maintenance, one that functions even in complex and constrained operational environments.
Source: 3D Printing Industry
