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