The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous agency within the US Department of Energy responsible for managing the nation’s nuclear security enterprise, joined Sandia National Laboratories and the Kansas City National Security Campus (KCNSC) on February 12 to open the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation, known as CAMINO. Located at the Science and Technology Park outside Kirtland Air Force Base, the facility is intended to enable rapid prototyping and shorten development life cycles for nuclear weapons hardware and other national security missions.
Approximately 120 people attended the ribbon-cutting event. Sandia National Laboratories, a federally funded research and development center that serves as the design agency for many non-nuclear components in the nation’s nuclear deterrent, hosted the ceremony alongside NNSA leadership and representatives from the KCNSC, the production agency responsible for manufacturing non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons systems. The new center is described as a capability that connects foundational research with applied production.
During the event, a wire electrical discharge machine cut a Thunderbird paperweight from a baseplate before it fell. The paperweights were produced through additive manufacturing at the new facility. The demonstration showed 3D printed component production followed by separation from its build plate using wire EDM equipment. CAMINO integrates physical and digital capabilities with partnerships across laboratories and external collaborators to translate concepts into hardware.
Laura McGill, Director of Sandia National Laboratories, describes it as “a network of labs, partners, and physical and digital capabilities that connect foundational research to real-world applications.” She said, “The key is a design and production model that accelerates technology maturation and reduces process steps.” McGill added, “What CAMINO ultimately delivers is speed, readiness and resilience. And that matters for deterrence.”
NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams, KCNSC President and CEO Eric Wollerman, and Sandia Associate Labs Director Steven Girrens also spoke during the ceremony. Sandia serves as the design agency for many non-nuclear components in the nation’s nuclear deterrent, while the Kansas City National Security Campus serves as the production agency. The new campus will allow the production agency to get involved earlier, when parts are being designed, to drive increased productivity. “This facility reflects how we will operate going forward. We must be integrated across disciplines, connected across organizations and focused on delivering at the pace national security demands of us,” McGill said.
Additive Manufacturing Campuses Address Development Bottlenecks
Industrial additive manufacturing programs have increasingly shifted toward co-locating research, engineering and production functions to reduce delays between prototype validation and serial manufacturing. In Switzerland, Oerlikon committed CHF 40 million to consolidate three sites into Campus Reichhold in Aargau, bringing research and development, engineering, manufacturing and testing under one roof. Construction was scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025, with operations targeted for early 2027 and approximately 250 employees relocating. The facility will include a dedicated turbine test rig for aerospace coating systems and support thermal spray and Direct Energy Deposition technologies, enabling validation of components designed to operate at temperatures up to 1,200°C. Consolidation is intended to reduce process handoffs between development and production stages.
Automotive manufacturing has followed a similar model. BMW Group invested approximately €23 million to establish an Additive Manufacturing Campus in Munich, installing around 50 3D printers at the site and employing roughly 80 specialists focused on tool-less production workflows. Earlier initiatives, including the IDAM project’s automated metal 3D printing lines and the POLYLINE polymer production chain, aimed to transition additive manufacturing from prototype environments into factory-floor systems. Six automated binder jet systems were also deployed at BMW’s Landshut foundry for sand core production. Bringing these capabilities together in a single facility concentrates process development, quality integration and production scaling within one operational framework.
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 photo shows From left, NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams, Sandia Labs Director Laura McGill and Kansas City National Security Campus President and CEO Eric Wollerman cut the ribbon to celebrate the opening of CAMINO surrounded by their teams. Photo via Craig Fritz.
