Northrop Grumman is integrating additive manufacturing across its space systems to reduce lead times, lower costs, and enhance the design flexibility of certified parts.

At the recent Additive Manufacturing Advantage Aerospace (AMAA) 2025 conference, Andrew Thompson revealed that Northrop 3D prints hundreds of thousands of parts annually. The global aerospace, space, and defense manufacturer is actively transitioning from prototyping to producing end-use, flight-ready components. 

Thompson, who leads Northrop Grumman’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (CoE), touched on the company’s proprietary continuous composite 3D printing technology. He also highlighted cutting-edge 3D printed RF antennas, which enhance the performance of satellites in orbit.    

Northrop’s AM expert explained that 3D printing can reduce lead times by up to 90% for certain components, compared to traditional forging and casting methods. The Virginia-based company also sees significant cost savings, up to 70% overall, and as much as 90% for topology-optimised honeycomb panels.

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Northrop fabricates both metal and composite parts using EBM, LPBF, DED, WAAM, SLS, and its Scalable Composite Robotic Additive Manufacturing Carbon/Carbon (SCRAM C/C) technology.

In his presentation, Thompson emphasized that advanced 3D printers and novel materials are meaningless if the final part doesn’t add value or can’t be certified. Therefore, he argued, the core challenges lie in design, testing, and inspection, noting that “If you don’t have those things, you can’t make the products.” 

Thompson noted that quality control still accounts for nearly half the cost of each 3D printed part. Developing material allowables for spaceflight, he added, can take up to 18 months and cost millions of dollars. 

From its facility in Elkton, Maryland, Northrop’s additive manufacturing CoE is working to address these challenges and help shape the future of 3D printing in space applications.

Metal 3D printing at Northrop Grumman 

Northrop Grumman has a long history with additive manufacturing, first adopting the technology in the 1990s for plastic tooling applications. Today, the U.S. aerospace firm leverages metals and polymer 3D printing to produce end-use parts for satellites, launch vehicles, payloads, hypersonics, missile defense, and ground systems.   

Northrop’s AM strategy for space systems is split between three distinct categories: small metals, large metals, and composites. The firm conducts engineering in-house and outsources production to “small businesses and innovative suppliers,” Thompson explained. “We’re not only leveraging the knowledge that gets built out, but we’re helping support the supply base.” 

For small metals, Northrop utilizes laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and electron beam melting (EBM). Titanium is the company’s “workhorse” feedstock for EBM, used primarily to produce space structures and subsystems. The company qualified the material in 2017, with Northrop flying its first titanium 3D printed part in 2019. 

Thompson emphasized the design freedom and time savings enabled by titanium EBM additive manufacturing. He pointed to one part that originally had a 200-day lead time. After being redesigned for additive manufacturing using topology optimization, it was 3D printed and delivered in just a few weeks. The switch to 3D printing also allowed Northrop to overcome design challenges that were impossible to solve using conventional manufacturing methods.

Aluminum alloys, particularly AlSi10Mg, are also a key focus, being 3D printed exclusively using LPBF technology. In the future, Northrop will shift to using CP1, an aluminum alloy developed by Constellium specifically for metal additive manufacturing. CP1 promises double the electrical and thermal conductivity, offering potential in structural and thermal applications. 

Cobalt-nickel alloys are also used for high-temperature applications in the small metal segment. Also produced using LPBF, these materials are well-suited for payloads and spacecraft environments where tight control over thermal expansion is essential. 

Copper is another material gaining attention, thanks to its thermal performance. Northrop is working closely with Fabric8Labs, a San Diego startup known for high-resolution copper 3D printing of electronics and thermal applications.  

In the large metal space, forged rings and mandrels can take 12 to 24 months to source using traditional methods. To accelerate procurement, Northrop has turned to large-scale metal 3D printing. This includes wire directed energy 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 major metal alloys. The first is Ti-6Al-4V, which the company uses across its AFSD, wire-fed, and powder-fed processes. Next is aluminum. Northrop is prioritizing aluminum 7050 and 7075 for AFSD, with laser wire development also underway. Both titanium and aluminum materials are used to 3D print launch vehicles, space vehicles, motors, and payload products.  

Thirdly, Steels are primarily used in WAAM and DED tooling applications. Thompson noted that this is particularly advantageous in the production of metal mandrels, which hold workpieces in place during machining.   

Northrop Grumman’s SCRAM C/C technology

Northrop’s in-house SCRAM C/C technology sits at the heart of its polymer and composite 3D printing strategy. The system utilizes a robotic arm with interchangeable tool heads. It leverages continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastics to produce high-temperature composite components.  

Importantly, SCRAM C/C can 3D print temperature-resistant materials that won’t erode, melt, or deform in extreme environments. These polymer parts are also lighter than metal, reducing the weight of hypersonic systems and boosting performance. “The design options for it are almost limitless,” explained Thompson, who called SCRAM C/C a “factory in a box for composite structures.” 

Northrop is using SCRAM C/C to 3D print complex, high-strength structures for space applications, enabling what Thompson called “some pretty crazy designs.” 

n one case, a single print job used three printhead modules. One 3D printed a tough outer layer of continuous fiber skins, another built a lightweight honeycomb core, and a third created water-soluble support tooling, producing the entire composite part in one shot

Thompson’s company is also exploring advanced polymer materials, including ESD-safe thermoplastics like ESD PEEK and Antero PEKK from 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys. “We’re starting to rethink how plastics can be used in a spacecraft,” Thompson said. He noted that these material properties have previously been restricted by the limitations of injection molding for high-mix, low-volume production.

Northrop’s additive manufacturing advantage for space applications 

Thompson revealed that Northrop’s additive manufacturing operations are increasingly targeting high-value, end-use structural products. These range from DED-printed propulsion tanks, LPBF RF Antennas and thrusters, large forgings made with AFSD, and solid rocket motor (SRM) nozzles 3D printed using SCRAM C/C. “I want to stop making brackets that save programs $5,000, and start making tanks that save programs $500,000,” Northrop’s AM expert said.  

One spacecraft propulsion tank, initially designed as a demo part, advanced to full-scale performance testing after early results proved promising. The large-scale component was 3D printed in a single piece from Ti-6Al-4V using blown powder DED.

Thompson explained that this method avoids the supply chain issues linked to traditional forgings and castings, with hardpoints and feed lines embedded directly into the tank’s geometry. For this application, additive manufacturing cut lead times by 50% and costs by 30%. 

The project used the material qualification dataset developed by America Makes and Boeing through the GAMAT initiative. Thompson added that this effort pushes the boundaries of certifying monolithic pressure vessels for flight, especially in meeting non-destructive evaluation (NDE) standards.

Another standout use case Thompson shared involves topology-optimized honeycomb panels for spacecraft and satellites. These lightweight structures pair a thin outer layer with a honeycomb-shaped core. This combination delivers high strength and stiffness with minimal weight, making them ideal for satellite chassis, enclosures, and antenna structures.

Northrop’s panels are currently 3D printed using AlSi10Mg, with the company planning to shift production to higher-performance CP1 aluminum with LPBF. Thompson revealed that 3D printing these panels can unlock 90% cost reductions and either a 10% stiffness gain or a 15% mass reduction. 

In the Radio Frequency (RF) domain, Northrop has launched 3D printed RF antenna feed chains, which are currently “up in orbit, doing their job.” The satellite components were produced in collaboration with RF systems provider SWISSto12 using AlSi10Mg and LPBF. 

Delivered under the GEOStar-3 commercial satellite program, these flight-ready components reduce size, weight, and power demands while enhancing on-orbit performance. Northrop completed qualification of the feed chains in January 2024 and is considering using CP1 to 3D print additional satellite hardware in the future.

Large forged toolings, such as mandrels for rocket motor cases and nozzles, are also experiencing significant gains from additive manufacturing at Northrop. Large-format wire DED 3D printing reduces long lead times and enables the creation of more complex designs than traditional methods, thereby accelerating product development. 

Thompson acknowledged persistent hurdles, including the high cost and complexity of non-recurring engineering, as well as DED’s lower level of automation compared to LPBF. Yet he remains convinced that the gains in design flexibility and the reduced supply chain vulnerability outweigh the technical difficulties and initial investment.

Targeting a cohesive AM framework

To ensure consistency across programs, Northrop has created a bespoke internal framework for additive manufacturing qualification called SPAMRS (Space Additive Manufacturing Requirements Standard). It draws on NASA-STD-6030, AWS D20.1, MMPDS, and key AMS specifications, which have been tailored to meet the Virginian aerospace manufacturer’s needs.

“It’s not one size fits all,” Thompson said. “[SPAMRS] allows us to have flexibility to tailor our qualification process to the products we’re trying to support.” This proprietary framework aims to reduce redundant testing and ease adoption across Northrop’s different flight programs. 

However, Thompson noted that this does not eliminate the data burden associated with aerospace 3D printing. Generating material data and coupons is a slow and expensive process, often taking 18 months and costing millions of dollars. 

Inspection is another growing area of concern as additive designs grow more complex. According to Thompson, NDE techniques often lag behind the geometries they’re meant to verify. “Generally speaking, quality makes up about half of the part cost for additive parts today,” Thompson revealed. 

Additive manufacturing for space remains focused on high-mix, low-volume production, posing challenges for standardization. Thompson identified four major hurdles the industry still needs to overcome: design-for-AM (DfAM), inconsistent customer requirements, siloed material databases, and unique supplier processes.

Northrop has sought to curb industry fragmentation by releasing non-competitive material data and advocating for greater supplier interoperability. “We want proliferation in the industry,” said Thompson, while acknowledging the pressing need to unify standards and requirements.

Thompson is personally leading some of these efforts, currently serving as chair of the America Makes Industry Advisory Group (RMAG). This industry-led body helps shape the direction and strategy of America Makes. It convenes for one hour every two weeks to offer guidance on accelerating additive manufacturing adoption and strengthening the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector.