Additive Snack

In this episode of Additive Snack, Fabian Alefeld sits down with Bart Van Der Schueren, CTO of Materialise, to discuss additive manufacturing's (AM) evolution from a prototyping tool to a true production technology. Bart shares his journey into AM through early stereolithography research at KU Leuven and reflects on Materialise's origins as a small service bureau that quickly realized it needed its own software to automate data preparation and workflows. Those early efforts eventually grew into the three pillars that define Materialise today: manufacturing, software and medical applications.

The conversation explores a major milestone for Materialise, as serial manufacturing volumes in its manufacturing business have now surpassed prototyping. Bart explains what's driving that shift, where AM is gaining traction fastest, and why industries such as hearing aids, dental, drones and aerospace are moving at different speeds.

The discussion also examines the growing role of artificial intelligence in manufacturing, from design optimization and simulation to in-situ quality control, automated workflows and reducing the cost of new product introduction. Bart shares how Materialise is positioning itself for the next stage of AM growth while helping customers scale production in highly regulated industries.

01:59 Bart Origins in AM

04:49 Materialise Early Model

07:28 Three Pillars Emerge

09:59 From Prototypes to Parts

15:07 Serial Production Milestone

20:22 Industries Driving Adoption

23:13 Aerospace Slow Burn

27:24 Disruptors Drones and Agile

31:02 Iterative Printing Workflow

32:19 AI Driven Rapid Iteration

34:11 Mass Customization With AI

38:47 Design AI Beyond Hype

42:06 AI For In Situ Quality

45:28 NPI Costs And Scaling

48:16 Materialise Strategy Ahead

55:00 Industry Outlook No Return

Fabian Alefeld speaks with Captain Jason Deichler, Chief of Staff, Director, Submarine Programs, about the U.S. Navy’s effort to increase submarine production and sustainment capacity while rebuilding a strained industrial base. Deichler explains the challenges created by decades of manufacturing consolidation, workforce shortages, supplier attrition, and lost casting and forging capabilities, all while pursuing the Navy’s ambitious "one plus two" goal: delivering one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines annually. 

The conversation explores the Navy’s strategy for strengthening submarine production, guided by Admiral Gaucher’s four pillars: stabilizing submarine designs, allowing prime shipyards to focus on integration, expanding the industrial base, and designing future platforms with advanced manufacturing in mind. Deichler discusses how additive manufacturing (AM) helps address obsolescence, reduce lead times, expand supplier capacity, and improve supply chain resilience. 

They also examine the growing adoption of both polymer and metal AM, including the qualification of new materials and processes, lessons learned from deploying AM components, and the industry's progress toward certifying increasingly critical applications. The episode concludes with insights into supplier engagement, workforce development, and how companies can support the future of submarine production through the Submarine Industrial Base initiative. 

 
02:21 The State of the Submarine Industrial Base
05:07 The Navy's "One Plus Two" Production Goal
06:54 The Four Pillars Strategy
10:54 Workforce, Suppliers & Obsolescence Challenges
13:12 Rebuilding Capacity with Advanced Manufacturing
18:45 Safety, Data & Certification Requirements
21:22 AI, Cobots & Productivity Improvements
25:34 When Additive Manufacturing Became Mission Critical
29:05 From Skepticism to Adoption
31:51 Scaling from 25 to 75 Qualified Parts
32:54 Lessons from Space Applications
35:16 Qualification and Production Scale-Up
36:22 Selecting the Right Parts for Additive Manufacturing
38:26 New Standards, PPDs & Material Qualification
39:54 Procurement, Ordering & Supply Chain Systems
42:18 Data Rights, Digital Thread & Machine Capacity
43:31 Supplier Demand and Industrial Base Growth
50:28 The Future: Tens of Thousands of Parts
56:00 Neo-Primes, Modularization & New Production Models
57:57 How Suppliers Can Get Involved
59:48 Closing Thoughts 

In this episode, host Fabian Alefeld sits down with Nick Classen, General Manager of Northwest Rapid Manufacturing, to explore how the company has grown from supporting early UAV production at Northwest UAV into a leading provider of polymer additive manufacturing (AM) services. Classen shares how Northwest Rapid began using EOS selective laser sintering (SLS) technology in 2008 and continues to operate its original system today.

The conversation examines why AM has become a strategic technology for UAV and aerospace applications, enabling lighter-weight components, reduced part counts, complex geometries, and a seamless path from functional prototyping to production. Classen emphasizes the importance of engaging AM experts early in the design process to ensure parts are optimized for manufacturability before release.

The episode also explores production scaling, with discussions around typical UAV production volumes, market growth driven by defense spending and industry consolidation, and applications ranging from structural brackets and housings to conformal fuel tanks. Classen highlights the role of advanced materials, including Nylon 12, glass-filled polymers, alumide, and flame-retardant materials, as well as the extensive post-processing, coating, testing, and EMI shielding capabilities required to deliver finished production parts. He concludes with insights into Northwest Rapid’s plans to expand into metal AM.

02:05 The Origins of Northwest Rapid Manufacturing
03:59 Why AM Makes Sense for UAVs
06:40 Designing for Additive from the Start
10:52 Low-Rate vs. High-Rate Production
12:29 Scaling for Future Market Growth
14:52 UAV Applications Moving into Production
16:41 Conformal Fuel Tanks and Structural Components
20:05 Materials Driving SLS Adoption
22:27 The Value of Post-Processing
23:00 Finishing and Certifying Fuel Tanks
24:16 Understanding EMI Shielding
24:57 Why More UAV Housings Are Being Printed
26:07 Growth Trends in the UAV Industry
28:39 Expanding into Metal AM
30:09 Opportunities Beyond UAVs
31:31 Educating the Next Generation of Drone Engineers
36:09 Scaling Operations to Meet Demand
37:27 Hiring, Workforce Development & Post-Processing

Fabian Alefeld welcomes back Harshil Goel, founder and CEO of Dyndrite, to discuss how current additive manufacturing (AM) qualification practices limit advanced laser powder bed fusion toolpaths by locking variables such as software, machine, strategy, layer height, and material. Harshil reviews MQ, IQ, OQ, and PQ, noting cost and rigidity increase toward part qualification. 

They discuss Dyndrite’s roles in multiple America Makes efforts: AI4AM to reduce the specimen counts needed for material allowables (starting with 17-4PH) using improved statistical methods; DeltaQual 2.0 to enable “bracketed qualification” so parameter changes within a defined process window don’t retrigger requalification (including varying layer heights within a part); and Gotham to transfer scalable, qualified parameter approaches across different machines and sizes using materials like Scalmalloy. 

Harshil describes “Sasquatch,” a physics-based KPV framework using ratios (e.g., energy density, enthalpy, melt pool dimensions) to bound process windows and increase confidence without relying solely on sensors or simulation, and highlights software and AI accelerating DOE and parameter iteration with a target program timeline of about two years.

01:34 What Dyndrite Builds

02:11 Why Qualification Blocks Innovation

03:58 IQ OQ PQ MQ Explained

08:22 PQ Locks Everything Down

09:00 America Makes Program Overview

09:57 AI4AM Materials Allowables

12:39 Process Windows Not Fixed Params

14:57 Delta Qual 2 Bracketed Qual

17:38 Partners Sensors And Confidence

19:25 Sasquatch New KPVs

25:33 Gotham Scaling Across Machines

27:07 Future Less PQ More Reuse

28:39 Industry Impact Of Faster Qual

29:52 Customer Owned Parameters

30:54 Additive As Moat

32:13 Microstructure Driven IP

33:12 Selling Machine Control

34:31 Breaking Vendor Silos

35:36 Two Year Timeline

37:57 Risks And Adoption

41:23 Software As Glue

42:11 AI Accelerated DOE

45:34 Math Meets Empiricism

49:48 Future Outlook Wrap

Fabian Alefeld interviews Brandon Brodie, co-founder and CEO of Annihilator Broadheads, about how an Idaho elk hunt and a lost bull sparked a new broadhead concept sketched by Brandon’s future partner Micah. They describe turning the 2D sketch into plastic CAD prototypes via Boise State, a makeshift “wind tunnel” test using Instant Pot steam, and early performance goals of flight, penetration, durability, and lethality. Field and improvised tests (steel drum, long-range accuracy, animal kills) plus third-party fluid dynamics modeling suggested Annihilator’s design created unusually large high-pressure and low-tension effects.  

After major supply failures with investment casting and metal injection molding - causing shortages, high scrap rates, and lost dealers - Brodie brought manufacturing in-house, adopting metal laser powder bed fusion, improving repeatability and enabling new geometries like the Katana. He outlines ongoing innovation, potential adjacent products, and plans to leverage Annihilator’s additive capabilities for partnerships and contract manufacturing. 

02:26 Elk Camp Origin 

06:43 Sketch to Prototype 

11:36 Instant Pot Wind Test 

14:44 Performance Pillars 

18:41 Steel Drum Proof 

22:45 Real Hunt Validation 

26:45 Fluid Dynamics Breakthrough 

30:41 Engineering Led Marketing 

33:32 Manufacturing Growing Pains 

34:27 Industry Award Surprise 

35:53 COVID Demand Crunch 

36:54 Casting Supplier Failures 

39:40 MIM Tooling Disaster 

42:30 Additive Breakthrough 

46:35 Learning Metal Printing 

49:55 Repeatability and Materials 

52:56 Katana Broadhead Innovation 

57:49 Scaling R&D Team 

Host Fabian Alefeld interviews Professor PS Lee, Head of National University of Singapore Mechanical Engineering & Program Director of STDCT, and founder of CoolestDC, about heat as a key constraint in AI infrastructure as data centers shift from CPU-heavy to GPU-dense systems with higher power density, hotspots, and bursty workloads. Lee explains why cooling must be treated as an integrated “chip to grid” system spanning cold plates, racks, CDUs, piping, controls, and operations, and discusses single-phase versus two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling and the added need for condensation in closed loops.  

Professor Lee describes how additive manufacturing (AM) enables complex fin structures and unibody cold plates that reduce leakage risk, lower junction temperatures (~10°C), cut pumping power (60–70%+), and reduce material use, while requiring TCO evaluation. At NUS’s live testbed (22 liquid-cooled racks, ~500 kW), AM cold plates are being deployed and show promising thermal, power, and compute-performance improvements; future work includes two-phase cooling and broader system-level heat rejection, warm-water operation, and waste-heat reuse, plus a discussion of challenges and potential AM roles in space-based data centers. 

02:13 Meet Professor Lee 

05:26 Chip To Grid Cooling 

10:22 Liquid Cooling Maturity 

14:15 Two Phase Explained 

18:12 Cold Plate Tradeoffs 

20:40 AM Unibody Cold Plates 

24:41 Benchmarking AM Gains 

30:18 AM For CDUs 

34:13 Inside STDC Testbed 

38:09 Reliability And Leakage 

39:00 Next Phase Roadmap 

42:31 Orbital Data Centers

In this episode, Fabian Alefeld sits down with Ante Lausic, Lead Process Engineer at General Motors' Additive Industrialization Center (AIC), to explore what it takes to successfully scale additive manufacturing (AM) in the automotive industry. Ante explains why automotive manufacturing demands more than innovative technology - it requires AM-native designs, cost-effective production, automotive-qualified materials, and repeatable processes capable of supporting high-volume manufacturing. He also shares how GM has evolved from using AM primarily for rapid prototyping to establishing the Additive Industrialization Center in 2020 to evaluate new technologies, validate production readiness, and strengthen collaboration across the supply chain.

The conversation highlights real-world production applications, including the Cadillac Celestiq, which incorporates more than 130 AM components, such as a safety-critical binder-jetted stainless steel seatbelt guide and aluminum steering wheel trim. Ante also discusses the rapid growth of additive manufacturing for tooling, including die-casting inserts, plant fixtures, and end-of-arm tooling, and offers his perspective on where the technology is delivering the greatest value for automotive manufacturers today.

01:56 Scaling AM in Automotive

05:10 Value and Cost Reality

07:27 GM Additive Center Origins

11:02 Educating Engineers and Suppliers

14:34 Celestiq AM Success Stories

19:44 Supplier Freedom and Standards

23:00 Tooling Inserts Big Wins

27:50 End of Arm Tooling Growth

29:36 Motorsports and F1 Links

32:10 Aftermarket Digital Warehousing

33:39 Materials and PPAP Hurdles

36:14 PPAP Explained Simply

38:43 Rethinking Qualification Costs

41:07 Scaling to Corvette Volumes

Fabian Alefeld interviews certified prosthetist/orthotist and EastPoint Prosthetics VP Brent Wright about his career path into O&P, his shift from being anti-digital to adopting scanning and additive manufacturing, and the impact on patient care and global access. Wright describes traditional fabrication workflows (casting, plaster positives, vacuum forming thermoplastics for orthoses, and carbon fiber/resin layups for prostheses) as artistic but time-consuming, hazardous, and lacking records. 

His digital journey accelerated after a Guatemala trip with Life Enabled highlighted the need to scale care; he focused on scanning, digital modification, and later powder-bed fusion, moving toward SLS with materials like PK5000 and TPU. He emphasizes pressure casting for prosthetic sockets, the value of digital records for insurance, and how AM can change socket “dynamics” to improve comfort and heal wounds. 

The discussion also covers RADii’s data-driven fitting approach, Life Enabled’s mix of traditional and 3D-printed solutions (including pediatric feet), modular “kit” concepts for developing regions, and barriers to sensors/actuators in the US due to reimbursement.

02:33 Brent Origin Story

09:30 Why Go Digital

11:17 Scaling Global Access

17:32 Traditional O&P Workflow

20:02 Casting And Fabrication Steps

24:07 Digital Workflow And Scanning

33:22 Benefits Of Digital Records

36:36 Flexible Liner Heals Wound

40:47 RADii Data Meets Craft

46:06 Life Enabled Model

01:01:50 Democratizing via Manufacturing

01:08:01 Sensors vs Simplicity

Fabian Alefeld sits down with Sean Whittaker, founder, president, and CEO of Incodema3D, to discuss the company's journey from a sheet metal prototyping business to one of North America's largest metal additive manufacturing operations. Sean shares why he invested in metal AM early, how Incodema3D built a production-first business model, and what it takes to scale additive manufacturing beyond prototypes.

The conversation explores the evolution of Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology, the importance of vertically integrated manufacturing, and how improvements in machines, materials, software, and Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) are making production at scale a reality. Sean also discusses growing demand driven by reshoring, defense, aerospace, and energy applications, Incodema3D's specialization in aluminum thermal management components and high-volume Inconel production, and how AFM Capital's investment is accelerating expansion through new equipment, automation, and future U.S. manufacturing sites.

Episode Chapters

• 01:41 Sean's Origin Story 
• 05:13 Taking the Leap into Metal Additive Manufacturing 
• 07:05 From Prototypes to Production 
• 08:07 The Advantage of Vertical Integration 
• 10:54 The Maturity of Additive Manufacturing and DfAM 
• 15:46 Thermal Management, Inconel, and Consumer Applications 
• 19:21 Defense, Energy, and Replacing Cast Components 
• 21:28 Accelerating Growth with AFM Capital 
• 25:49 Cycle Times, ROI, and Production Flexibility 
• 30:07 Automation and Building the AM Workforce 
• 34:50 Reshoring, Expansion, and the Future of Production 
• 39:50 Wrap-Up

Fabian Alefeld interviews Omar Mireles, Director of Manufacture and Materials at Space Nuclear Power Corporation (Space Nukes), about his career spanning NASA, Oak Ridge, and Los Alamos and how additive manufacturing (AM) reshaped space hardware development. Omar describes early exposure to SLS prototyping, graduate work in nuclear materials and propulsion, building nuclear materials labs at NASA Marshall, and later leading AM efforts for liquid rocket engines and refractory metals.  

He explains how AM accelerates iteration, enables complex geometries, part consolidation, and weight reduction, and where traditional methods still dominate depending on production rate. The conversation covers refractory metal challenges (supply chain, oxygen sensitivity, post-processing, inspection) and nuclear reactor basics, generations, and regulatory barriers to AM adoption. Omar outlines Space Nukes’ goal of delivering safe, affordable, reliable power anywhere in the solar system, noting heat rejection as a key space constraint, Krusty’s 2018 test heritage, potential AM roles in heat exchangers, and an aggressive ~2-year flight timeline depending on regulation and mission. 

02:26 Omar Early Motivation 

03:08 NASA Co-ops and First AM 

07:59 Stirling Radiation Research 

20:07 Refractory Metals AM Lab 

21:31 Los Alamos to Space Nukes 

25:14 Did AM Change Space Race 

31:46 Where AM Flies Today 

37:41 Rocket Engines Print vs Traditional 

41:15 Refractory Alloys Challenges 

46:39 Where Refractories Make Sense 

47:05 Will Refractory AM Grow 

49:39 NASA Metal AM Handbook Origins 

56:37 How Nuclear Reactors Work 

01:13:02 Additive Manufacturing in Nuclear 

01:18:31 What Space Nukes Builds 

01:19:36 Why Space Nuclear Power Matters 

01:25:20 Why Space Needs Nukes 

01:37:47 Krusty Test Proof 

01:41:18 Heat Rejection Challenge 

01:49:25 Timeline and First Missions