3D printing company Divergent unveils technology to increase output by 8x: Respond to changing demand far more quickly
Divergent Technologies, the company best known for 3D-printing parts for everything from Bugatti supercars to Tomahawk missiles, is opening a massive factory in Long Beach, Calif., equipped with a new kind of industrial metal printer capable of producing more than 30,000 missile airframes a year.The newly-unveiled Monolith One 3D printers are explicitly designed for high-volume, quick production of large parts.Situated in a new 430,000-square-foot factory, which can fit 64 Monolith Ones, this capability will allow a dramatic eightfold increase in output.
When the printers are fully online, the Long Beach site will be able to produce 60,000 warhead casings — in addition to the 30,000 missile airframes — and employ more than 1,000 people.The move comes as the US pushes to replace depleted weapons stockpiles after years of conflict between Russia and Ukraine and, most recently, tensions in the Middle East.While the war with Iran appears to have wound down, Pentagon officials have made clear that replenishing inventories remains a priority.“What is clear is that defense industry leaders recognize the need for greater production capacity across a range of systems.
The ability to manufacture tens of thousands of missile airframes or warhead casings annually from a single facility represents a meaningful contribution to that broader defense industrial base,” Lukas Czinger, Divergent co-founder told The Post. “What’s particularly significant is that this output is being generated from a flexible manufacturing platform.Historically, achieving high production volumes would require substantial investments in tooling, infrastructure and long lead-time supply chains,” he added.
“We’re able to produce complex structures at scale while maintaining the flexibility to shift production as requirements evolve.”That effort has put companies like Divergent on Washington’s radar.The company hosted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in January as part of his ...