18 May 2026
For years, the U.S. military has depended on big defense contractors to design and manufacture weapons systems. The process takes a long time, typically costs millions of dollars, and can't shift directions very swiftly if an enemy changes up the game. In other words, that massively expensive weapon in which you've invested isn't going to do the job if the opposition comes up with a newer, faster, and deadlier threat.
Ukraine taught this to the world with its handling of drone warfare. It is keeping a much larger enemy at bay by 3D printing more than 100 interceptor drones each day.
Impressed by the speed and savings over the tattered factory system, the U.S. military is following Ukraine's lead. Defense factories and their slow, multi-year tooling cycles are being kicked to the curb by 3D printer farms.
Vision Miner, one of the major players in the 3D printing space, has produced a video (see below) that explains this seismic shift in how and where combat drones are being manufactured.
ABOUT VISION MINER
We specialize in functional 3D printing using high-performance engineering polymers — PEEK, ULTEM, PPSU, PPS, CFPA, and more. We also carry industrial 3D scanners and a full range of additive manufacturing solutions. From defense and aerospace to medical devices, drones, and tooling, we help engineering teams figure this out every single day.
LEARN WHY THE OLD RULES NO LONGER APPLY...
