On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Elementum 3D's Chief Technical Officer, Dr. Jeremy Iten, shared the company's journey from startup to industry leader in additive manufacturing during NASA's "Startup" webinar.

The webinar reveals Elementum 3D's core business and how its advanced AM metal materials are powering the next frontier in what's possible with 3D printing high-performance applications in aerospace, automotive, and beyond. Throughout the video Jeremy speaks about the challenges, breakthroughs, and real-world impact of Elementum 3D collaborations with NASA to help push the boundaries of 3D-printed rocket engine technology.

Elementum 3D has been chosen by the U.S. Air Force to be included in the Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) vehicle initiative. This contract, capped at $46B through 2031, funds an readiness to quickly meet PEO (Program Executive Officer) Weapons program requirements. The EWAAC IDIQ initiative will come from interagency collaborations and external agency allocations. No predetermined funding will be issued.

EWAAC IDIQ’s goal is to expedite the acquisition process with enhanced modernization efforts, including weapons systems requirements development, research and development, testing and evaluation, production and fielding, prototyping, weapon design, system modeling, and demonstrations. The contract emphasizes the implementation of digital acquisition and sustainment practices directed at maintaining the Air Force’s technological superiority, primarily emphasizing Armament and Digital Trinity (agile software development, open architecture, and digital engineering, aimed at facilitating a digital transformation) air armament-related activities.

Elementum 3D will integrate its extensive metal additive manufacturing expertise and high-performance materials knowledge to support the open, agile, and digital armament mission. The company has a proven track record of novel solutions, innovative ideas, and advanced materials that will inspire evolutionary, revolutionary, and disruptive capabilities for the United States. 

“The Elementum 3D team is ready to develop innovative capabilities that align with the nation's defense needs,” said Elementum 3D CEO and Founder Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein. “Our history runs deep with the U.S. Air Force, and we are honored to be part of this contract in support of the US armed forces.”

Additional information related to the EWAAC IDIQ contract:

• EWAAC awardees list
• EWAAC awards list
• On Ramp IV PAC Q & A

The American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) recently announced the 16 companies that have agreed to operate at their new Munitions Campus. Elementum 3D is proud to be selected by ACMI for its advanced capabilities and specialties with materials science and advanced manufacturing.

The Munitions Campus will be built on a portion of the ACMI Properties National Security Industrial Hub (NSIH), a new 1,141-acre development adjacent to Crane Army Ammunition Activity and Naval Surface Warfare Center – Crane (“Crane”) in Bloomfield, Indiana. The $75 million Munitions Campus Program was awarded to ACMI Federal by the Department of Defense to strengthen the munitions supply chain by stimulating private capital for shared-use facilities to scale up domestic munitions production capabilities and capacity. Design and construction activities are scheduled to begin in the second quarter of 2025 with the facility opening in phases beginning in 2027.

The new campus is expected to help lower barriers to entry for emerging defense firms, broaden the range of capabilities and specialties together in one location, and enable a highly efficient and innovative industrial base to benefit both the defense and commercial sectors.

Elementum 3D has been supporting the Purdue Space Program-Active Controls (PSP-AC) team since last year (March Momentum article) and we are excited to report the 3D printed propulsion system they developed has achieved a criticle milestone. The teams first hot-fires of their TADPOLE rocket nozze printed with A6061-RAM2 material was a huge success! The PSP-AC rocket nozzle propulsion system uses isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen as propellants to produce 550 pounds of force. 

Hot-fires video link