Northrop Grumman is integrating additive manufacturing throughout its house techniques to cut back lead occasions, decrease prices, and improve the design flexibility of licensed components.
On the latest Additive Manufacturing Benefit Aerospace (AMAA) 2025 convention, Andrew Thompson revealed that Northrop 3D prints a whole bunch of hundreds of components yearly. The worldwide aerospace, house, and protection producer is actively transitioning from prototyping to producing end-use, flight-ready elements.
Thompson, who leads Northrop Grumman’s Additive Manufacturing Heart of Excellence (CoE), touched on the corporate’s proprietary steady composite 3D printing know-how. He additionally highlighted cutting-edge 3D printed RF antennas, which improve the efficiency of satellites in orbit.
Northrop’s AM skilled defined that 3D printing can cut back lead occasions by as much as 90% for sure elements, in comparison with conventional forging and casting strategies. The Virginia-based firm additionally sees vital value financial savings, as much as 70% total, and as a lot as 90% for topology-optimised honeycomb panels.
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Northrop fabricates each steel and composite components utilizing EBM, LPBF, DED, WAAM, SLS, and its Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing Carbon/Carbon (SCRAM C/C) know-how.
In his presentation, Thompson emphasised that superior 3D printers and novel supplies are meaningless if the ultimate half doesn’t add worth or can’t be licensed. Due to this fact, he argued, the core challenges lie in design, testing, and inspection, noting that “In case you don’t have these issues, you possibly can’t make the merchandise.”
Thompson famous that high quality management nonetheless accounts for practically half the price of every 3D printed half. Growing materials allowables for spaceflight, he added, can take as much as 18 months and value thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
From its facility in Elkton, Maryland, Northrop’s additive manufacturing CoE is working to handle these challenges and assist form the way forward for 3D printing in house functions.
Metallic 3D printing at Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman has an extended historical past with additive manufacturing, first adopting the know-how within the Nineties for plastic tooling functions. In the present day, the U.S. aerospace agency leverages metals and polymer 3D printing to supply end-use components for satellites, launch automobiles, payloads, hypersonics, missile protection, and floor techniques.
Northrop’s AM technique for house techniques is cut up between three distinct classes: small metals, giant metals, and composites. The agency conducts engineering in-house and outsources manufacturing to “small companies and modern suppliers,” Thompson defined. “We’re not solely leveraging the data that will get constructed out, however we’re serving to assist the availability base.”
For small metals, Northrop makes use of laser powder mattress fusion (LPBF) and electron beam melting (EBM). Titanium is the corporate’s “workhorse” feedstock for EBM, used primarily to supply house constructions and subsystems. The corporate certified the fabric in 2017, with Northrop flying its first titanium 3D printed half in 2019.
Thompson emphasised the design freedom and time financial savings enabled by titanium EBM additive manufacturing. He pointed to at least one half that initially had a 200-day lead time. After being redesigned for additive manufacturing utilizing topology optimization, it was 3D printed and delivered in only a few weeks. The change to 3D printing additionally allowed Northrop to beat design challenges that had been unattainable to unravel utilizing standard manufacturing strategies.
Aluminum alloys, notably AlSi10Mg, are additionally a key focus, being 3D printed solely utilizing LPBF know-how. Sooner or later, Northrop will shift to utilizing CP1, an aluminum alloy developed by Constellium particularly for steel additive manufacturing. CP1 guarantees double {the electrical} and thermal conductivity, providing potential in structural and thermal functions.
Cobalt-nickel alloys are additionally used for high-temperature functions within the small steel section. Additionally produced utilizing LPBF, these supplies are well-suited for payloads and spacecraft environments the place tight management over thermal enlargement is important.
Copper is one other materials gaining consideration, because of its thermal efficiency. Northrop is working intently with Fabric8Labs, a San Diego startup identified for high-resolution copper 3D printing of electronics and thermal functions.
Within the giant steel house, cast rings and mandrels can take 12 to 24 months to supply utilizing conventional strategies. To speed up procurement, Northrop has turned to large-scale steel 3D printing. This consists of wire directed power deposition (DED), powder DED, wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM), Laser Wire Additive Manufacturing, and Additive Friction Stir Deposition (AFSD).
For these processes, Northrop prioritizes three main steel alloys. The primary is Ti-6Al-4V, which the corporate makes use of throughout its AFSD, wire-fed, and powder-fed processes. Subsequent is aluminum. Northrop is prioritizing aluminum 7050 and 7075 for AFSD, with laser wire growth additionally underway. Each titanium and aluminum supplies are used to 3D print launch automobiles, house automobiles, motors, and payload merchandise.
Thirdly, Steels are primarily utilized in WAAM and DED tooling functions. Thompson famous that that is notably advantageous within the manufacturing of steel mandrels, which maintain workpieces in place throughout machining.
Northrop Grumman’s SCRAM C/C know-how
Northrop’s in-house SCRAM C/C know-how sits on the coronary heart of its polymer and composite 3D printing technique. The system makes use of a robotic arm with interchangeable device heads. It leverages steady fiber-reinforced thermoplastics to supply high-temperature composite elements.
Importantly, SCRAM C/C can 3D print temperature-resistant supplies that received’t erode, soften, or deform in excessive environments. These polymer components are additionally lighter than steel, lowering the load of hypersonic techniques and boosting efficiency. “The design choices for it are nearly limitless,” defined Thompson, who referred to as SCRAM C/C a “manufacturing facility in a field for composite constructions.”
Northrop is utilizing SCRAM C/C to 3D print complicated, high-strength constructions for house functions, enabling what Thompson referred to as “some fairly loopy designs.”
In a single case, a single print job used three printhead modules. One 3D printed a tricky outer layer of steady fiber skins, one other constructed a light-weight honeycomb core, and a 3rd created water-soluble assist tooling, producing the whole composite half in a single shot
Thompson’s firm can also be exploring superior polymer supplies, together with ESD-safe thermoplastics like ESD PEEK and Antero PEKK from 3D printer producer Stratasys. “We’re beginning to rethink how plastics can be utilized in a spacecraft,” Thompson stated. He famous that these materials properties have beforehand been restricted by the constraints of injection molding for high-mix, low-volume manufacturing.
Northrop’s additive manufacturing benefit for house functions
Thompson revealed that Northrop’s additive manufacturing operations are more and more focusing on high-value, end-use structural merchandise. These vary from DED-printed propulsion tanks, LPBF RF Antennas and thrusters, giant forgings made with AFSD, and strong rocket motor (SRM) nozzles 3D printed utilizing SCRAM C/C. “I wish to cease making brackets that save packages $5,000, and begin making tanks that save packages $500,000,” Northrop’s AM skilled stated.
One spacecraft propulsion tank, initially designed as a demo half, superior to full-scale efficiency testing after early outcomes proved promising. The big-scale element was 3D printed in a single piece from Ti-6Al-4V utilizing blown powder DED.
Thompson defined that this technique avoids the availability chain points linked to conventional forgings and castings, with hardpoints and feed strains embedded immediately into the tank’s geometry. For this software, additive manufacturing lower lead occasions by 50% and prices by 30%.
The undertaking used the fabric qualification dataset developed by America Makes and Boeing by the GAMAT initiative. Thompson added that this effort pushes the boundaries of certifying monolithic stress vessels for flight, particularly in assembly non-destructive analysis (NDE) requirements.
One other standout use case Thompson shared entails topology-optimized honeycomb panels for spacecraft and satellites. These light-weight constructions pair a skinny outer layer with a honeycomb-shaped core. This mix delivers excessive energy and stiffness with minimal weight, making them ideally suited for satellite tv for pc chassis, enclosures, and antenna constructions.
Northrop’s panels are at present 3D printed utilizing AlSi10Mg, with the corporate planning to shift manufacturing to higher-performance CP1 aluminum with LPBF. Thompson revealed that 3D printing these panels can unlock 90% value reductions and both a ten% stiffness acquire or a 15% mass discount.
Within the Radio Frequency (RF) area, Northrop has launched 3D printed RF antenna feed chains, that are at present “up in orbit, doing their job.” The satellite tv for pc elements had been produced in collaboration with RF techniques supplier SWISSto12 utilizing AlSi10Mg and LPBF.
Delivered underneath the GEOStar-3 industrial satellite tv for pc program, these flight-ready elements cut back dimension, weight, and energy calls for whereas enhancing on-orbit efficiency. Northrop accomplished qualification of the feed chains in January 2024 and is contemplating utilizing CP1 to 3D print further satellite tv for pc {hardware} sooner or later.
Massive cast toolings, akin to mandrels for rocket motor circumstances and nozzles, are additionally experiencing vital positive factors from additive manufacturing at Northrop. Massive-format wire DED 3D printing reduces lengthy lead occasions and allows the creation of extra complicated designs than conventional strategies, thereby accelerating product growth.
Thompson acknowledged persistent hurdles, together with the excessive value and complexity of non-recurring engineering, in addition to DED’s decrease stage of automation in comparison with LPBF. But he stays satisfied that the positive factors in design flexibility and the diminished provide chain vulnerability outweigh the technical difficulties and preliminary funding.
Concentrating on a cohesive AM framework
To make sure consistency throughout packages, Northrop has created a bespoke inner framework for additive manufacturing qualification referred to as SPAMRS (House Additive Manufacturing Necessities Commonplace). It attracts on NASA-STD-6030, AWS D20.1, MMPDS, and key AMS specs, which have been tailor-made to fulfill the Virginian aerospace producer’s wants.
“It’s not one dimension matches all,” Thompson stated. “[SPAMRS] permits us to have flexibility to tailor our qualification course of to the merchandise we’re making an attempt to assist.” This proprietary framework goals to cut back redundant testing and ease adoption throughout Northrop’s completely different flight packages.
Nonetheless, Thompson famous that this doesn’t get rid of the info burden related to aerospace 3D printing. Producing materials information and coupons is a gradual and costly course of, typically taking 18 months and costing thousands and thousands of {dollars}.
Inspection is one other rising space of concern as additive designs develop extra complicated. In line with Thompson, NDE strategies typically lag behind the geometries they’re meant to confirm. “Typically talking, high quality makes up about half of the half value for additive components right now,” Thompson revealed.
Additive manufacturing for house stays centered on high-mix, low-volume manufacturing, posing challenges for standardization. Thompson recognized 4 main hurdles the {industry} nonetheless wants to beat: design-for-AM (DfAM), inconsistent buyer necessities, siloed materials databases, and distinctive provider processes.
Northrop has sought to curb {industry} fragmentation by releasing non-competitive materials information and advocating for higher provider interoperability. “We wish proliferation within the {industry},” stated Thompson, whereas acknowledging the urgent must unify requirements and necessities.
Thompson is personally main a few of these efforts, at present serving as chair of the America Makes Business Advisory Group (RMAG). This industry-led physique helps form the course and technique of America Makes. It convenes for one hour each two weeks to supply steerage on accelerating additive manufacturing adoption and strengthening the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector.
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Featured picture exhibits Andrew Thompson from Northrop Grumman. Picture by 3D Printing Business.