AUKUS Additive

#Additive - Australia is quietly losing one of its most strategic industries. Over the past decade, we’ve built real capability in additive manufacturing and advanced metal materials — backed by institutions like CSIRO and leading universities. This isn’t fringe tech. It sits upstream of: • Submarines • Hypersonics • Aerospace • Future defence supply chains But here’s what’s happening now 👇 A growing number of Australian-listed companies in this space are: → Moving operations to the United States → Embedding in US defence supply chains → Earning revenue in USD → Redomiciling corporate structures → Positioning for US capital markets This isn’t expansion. It’s migration. The playbook is becoming clear: Build the technology in Australia Prove it with early funding Scale it in the United States Capture the value offshore Why? Because the US offers: • Deep capital markets • Defence-driven demand • Strategic procurement alignment • Higher valuations for advanced manufacturing Meanwhile, Australia struggles to: • Fund industrial scale-up • Value deep-tech manufacturing • Anchor companies locally So we end up with a familiar pattern: 👉 We invent 👉 Others scale 👉 Others own In an AUKUS environment — where sovereign capability is the headline — this raises a serious question: Are we building an industrial base… or exporting it? This isn’t about stopping companies from going global. It’s about asking whether Australia wants to participate at scale — or remain an R&D outpost. Because right now, the centre of gravity is shifting. Fast. See https://lnkd.in/gcki65fx

#Additive - The FY2026 NDAA (Section 849) now explicitly bans the United States Department of War from procuring additive manufacturing systems (3D printers) and related services from foreign companies based or controlled in covered nations — including software and firmware. “Increasing domestic manufacturing is critical to U.S. national security.” — President Donald Trump Even if a printed part meets domestic sourcing thresholds, the Pentagon cannot use foreign-made 3D printing machines tied to certain foreign entities. “America First” approach to industrial and technological security. The Pentagon is doubling down on trusted, domestic additive manufacturing for mission-critical systems — securing supply chains and technological edge.

🚢 HMS Anson Arrives in Perth! Britain’s fifth Astute-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, HMS Anson, is now alongside HMAS Stirling, completing a remarkable journey from Barrow-in-Furness to Faslane and across the oceans to Australia. 🔹 Built over 11 years inside the massive Devonshire Dock Hall 🔹 Mature Astute-class design, incorporating lessons from the full program 🔹 A live training platform for Australian submariners under AUKUS 🔹 Named after Admiral George Anson Along the way, Anson paused offshore for the Rottnest Channel Swim, showing even the most capable submarines must navigate the unexpected. From Barrow to Faslane to Perth — with Australians onboard training alongside Royal Navy crews — HMS Anson is Down Under for the next month 🇦🇺🇬🇧🇺🇸 See https://lnkd.in/g8vKKG3w AUKUS Forum

Our work in Scotland, particularly with #additive manufacturing is accelerating and building new opportunities. This week, trade opportunities and international security will be at the heart of Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander’s programme as he embarks on a week-long visit to the Indo-Pacific region. Mr Alexander will meet government ministers and business leaders across Australia, Singapore and New Zealand. Australia and New Zealand remain among the UK’s closest defence allies at a time of heightened global instability. Australia is a key part of the AUKUS partnership, and in 2025 Australia signed a joint treaty with a 50-year commitment to deepening security cooperation in the region. Mr Alexander will hold discussions aimed at identifying further opportunities for collaboration, including in naval #shipbuilding and advanced defence manufacturing. See https://lnkd.in/g_Pjpq94 Michael Sharpe; AUKUS Visa; Center for American Industrial Strength; AUKUS Additive; British Nuclear Dialogue; National Manufacturing Institute Scotland

What’s next for #additive ? Nikon has taken close to ¥90bn ($574.7 million) in impairment charges, mostly against its additive manufacturing business, marking a significant retreat from the growth assumptions that underpinned its 2023 acquisition of SLM Solutions. Translation: the numbers no longer add up. Impairment tests hinge on three variables: revenue growth, operating margins, and discount rates. Small cuts to any of these, compounded over a decade-long forecast, can wipe out a significant chunk of present value. In capital-intensive sectors like metal printing, the maths are unforgiving. Impairments have become a recurring feature of the additive manufacturing sector as early consolidation bets collide with slower-than-expected industrial uptake. The most prominent precedent came in 2020, when GE took an $877mn goodwill impairment linked to its additive manufacturing unit, following the acquisitions of Concept Laser and Arcam. GE cited reduced long-term growth expectations and lower projected margins, despite continued technical use of metal AM in aviation programmes. https://lnkd.in/gPeHzji9

#Additive - Divergent Technologies has been formally qualified for production using Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF), including Z301-F and Z301-T5, for U.S. Army ground vehicle parts through the Complex AM Assembly Printing Pilot CRADA with the U.S. Army DEVCOM Ground Vehicle Systems Center.   This qualification validates the company’s additive manufacturing process for mission-critical hardware and marks another step toward software-defined manufacturing at scale for defense. AUKUS Forum

UK Submarine Update: Full Transparency Achieved Good news: the Royal Navy now knows exactly which Astute-class submarine is operational. One. Yes, just one. And it’s on a grand tour to Western Australia. The rest of the fleet? Heroically devoted to maintenance, refits, dry dock spa days, and deep meditation on the meaning of “operational readiness.” Critics call it a crisis. Admirals call it “focused deployment strategy.” Either way, lesson learned: fleet size ≠ fleet availability, and apparently one submarine can do all the heavy lifting if you squint hard enough. AUKUS rotations continue. The silver lining: if you’re ever wondering where the UK’s operational submarine is, the answer is simple — it’s having the adventure of a lifetime. ⚓🇦🇺 - Michael Sharpe See https://lnkd.in/gJsVqsje

⚡ UK Additive Manufacturing Powering Fusion Energy ⚡ The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with additive manufacturing. Using advanced 3D printing techniques — from electron beam powder‑bed fusion to selective laser manufacturing — UKAEA is creating highly complex, bespoke components for fusion reactors. See https://lnkd.in/gnxX8-ut UK Atomic Energy Authority; Freemelt AB; Additure; Nikon SLM Solutions; Kingsbury; AUKUS Forum

🚀 Additive Manufacturing = Strategic Power 3D printing isn’t just for prototypes anymore — it’s mission-critical infrastructure. The National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) now prohibits the U.S. Department of Defense from using or procuring additive manufacturing systems tied to China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea. Where your machines are built, where your software runs, and where your data flows now matters. For aerospace, defense, and high-tech companies, this is more than opportunity — it’s a call to scale, innovate, and produce at speed. Additive manufacturing is no longer optional. It’s how we build the future, today. See https://lnkd.in/g9irhi8s AUKUS Forum; Center for American Industrial Strength