ATI, US producer of high-performance materials, has officially opened its new Additive Manufacturing Products facility, described by the company as home to the industry’s most advanced large-format metal additive manufacturing capabilities. This fully integrated site brings the entire production process—design, 3D printing, heat treatment, machining, and inspection—together under one roof.
“Layer by layer, additive manufacturing gives us the ability to produce high-performance, highly complex components for our customers – faster, with less waste,” said Kimberly A. Fields, ATI President and CEO, at the facility’s grand opening in February. The event brought together customers, community partners, and industry leaders. “From design to finished product, we’ve formed a powerhouse that solves our customers’ most difficult challenges for the most demanding markets—aerospace, defense and space.”
Expanding Capabilities with Strategic Vision
The 132,000-square-foot facility builds on ATI’s nearly decade-long experience in additive manufacturing and is capable of producing parts up to 1.5 meters tall—featuring geometries unachievable by traditional methods. Its first production contract, awarded by Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. (BPMI), involves manufacturing precision-engineered components for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
Attendees at the opening toured the facility, which is equipped with laser powder bed fusion technology and certified to both ISO 9001 and AS9100D quality standards. The investment, initially announced in late 2023, aligns with ATI’s broader capital expenditure strategy.
“In this new facility, we’ve brought our materials science and forging expertise together with additive manufacturing production acumen, delivering high-quality production at scale,” said Fields. “From design to finished product, we’ve formed a powerhouse that solves our customers’ most difficult challenges for the most demanding markets—aerospace, defense and space.”
New 3D Printing Facilities
In 2025, Chinese metal 3D printer manufacturer Hanbang United 3D Technology (HBD) opened a new facility in Guangdong. The fully-operational additive manufacturing site is vast, featuring a production hub, sizeable R&D workshop, research laboratories, office space, and a conference room. According to HBD, these resources act as a “critical enabler of technological advancements,” allowing the firm to develop new, high-performance metal 3D printing technologies.
In 2024, US Defense firm Lockheed Martin opened a 16,000-square-foot additive manufacturing hub at its Missiles and Fire Control (MFC) site in Grand Prairie, Texas. The new location features large-format LPBF 3D printers from Nikon SLM Solutions, which are reportedly some of the largest multi-laser systems in Texas.
Lockheed’s 3D printing facility also features heat treatment and inspection equipment to support the rapid deployment of metal 3D printed aerospace parts. The American defense contractor will also utilize its expanded footprint to support its 1LMX digital transformation initiative. Announced in 2022, this sees Lockheed Martin optimize production capabilities and supply chains using artificial intelligence and process automation.
Elsewhere, GE Renewable Energy, the wind turbine manufacturing division of GE, previously opened a R&D facility dedicated to 3D printing concrete wind turbine towers. At the site, located in Bergen, New York, the firm is researching how to 3D print the bottom portion of turbine towers on-site. It hopes this will lower transportation costs and create new employment opportunities.
Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?
Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.
You can also follow us on LinkedIn, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.
Featured image data and automation center. Photo ATI.
