Portsmouth-based 3D print contract manufacturer AMufacture has called on the government to overhaul defense procurement, warning that slow, traditional purchasing processes could prevent UK manufacturers from delivering on the Defence Investment Plan’s (DIP) objectives.
The response puts a specific industrial lens on a policy document that commits £5 billion to autonomous systems but leaves open the question of which suppliers will actually build them and how fast.
Craig Pyser, chief executive of AMufacture and chair of the Additive Manufacturing UK (AMUK), welcomed the plan’s publication while cautioning against optimism outpacing action. “It’s positive that the plan has finally landed but we must be honest about the scale of the challenge. We squandered the peace dividend for 80 years. We cannot afford to squander the defence dividend,” he said.
Industrial Capacity Meets Defense Demand
AMufacture operates one of the largest fleets of advanced polymer 3D printers in Europe, built on HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology, and already produces parts for autonomous platforms across air, land, sea and underwater applications.
Defense became the company’s largest revenue sector in 2026. Pyser argues that this existing production base positions additive manufacturers to absorb a rapid increase in drone procurement without the lead times associated with conventional tooling.
The plan’s £5 billion allocation for autonomous machinery is where Pyser sees the most direct opportunity. AM removes the need for dedicated tooling for many components, allowing design changes to be incorporated without retooling. Pyser pointed to Ukraine as evidence that this adaptability is operationally relevant, where drone designs have been modified continuously in response to countermeasures.
The MOD has articulated a “hub and spoke” model for forward-deployed manufacturing, under which components would be printed in theater rather than shipped from the UK. Pyser endorsed that direction, framing it as a test of whether the government’s stated commitment to sovereign capability will translate into procurement decisions that give domestic, agile suppliers a greater role in delivering defence capability.
AMufacture is not alone in making this case. Across NATO, AM has moved from prototyping into limited production for defense applications. The UK is NATO’s lead nation for AM adoption, a position that carries both influence and expectation.
Whether that designation translates into greater industrial participation will depend largely on whether the DIP’s funding reaches SME manufacturers or concentrates with larger contractors better equipped to navigate the current system.
Pyser also called for fiscal incentives tied directly to defense-related employment and investment, including business rate discounts and tax reliefs, arguing that job creation in the sector needs to be made financially sustainable to build the workforce the plan will require.
Procurement Remains the Missing Link
The core challenge the DIP does not fully address is the gap between capability that already exists in UK industry and the procurement architecture that currently prevents it from being accessed at speed. Without procurement reform, the MOD risks spending the money too slowly to keep pace with the threats it is trying to counter.
The British Army has already demonstrated what forward-deployed AM looks like in practice. During Exercise Bull Storm in Kenya last year, soldiers 3D printed FPV drone airframes in the field at £400 per unit, against roughly £2,000 for comparable off-the-shelf platforms.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) is now investigating the security risks because the 3D printers used were Chinese-made Bambu Lab machines, subject to China’s National Intelligence Law. The operational case for sovereign additive manufacturing is proven; the supply chain to deliver it safely is not.
That gap is also visible inside the MOD itself. Richard Hamber, the department’s former lead of additive manufacturing, estimated the additively manufactured fraction of the MOD’s 1.6 million-item inventory as roughly “three or six persons’ fingers and toes” and acknowledged that the department still requires three face-to-face meetings before approving additively manufactured parts.
He also urged industry to invest heavily in AM for the defense supply chain, arguing that policy is moving in that direction.
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 can complete the call for speakers form here.
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Featured image shows An FPV drone being 3D printed on the British Army’s Bambu Lab 3D printer. Photo via the British Army.
