The US Department of Defense (DoD) finally seems to be implementing a strategy it has spent years refining, centered on bringing its international allies and partners more into the fold when it comes to its long-term industrial objectives.This strategy overlaps with another one involving similarly increased engagement with companies outside of DoD’s typical supplier list, primarily those that are newer and smaller than the enterprises DoD has worked with traditionally.Meanwhile, the EU and NATO have also begun to more directly align their respective work on goals related to supply chain resilience.
Additive manufacturing (AM) is integral to all this, and one company that’s been well-positioned to benefit is AML3D, the Australian original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of large-format, wire AM systems.AML3D just reported its Q4 and year-end results for 2026, and the company booked AU$20 million ($14 million) in new orders over the 12 months ending June 30.With AU$9 million on the books at the start of the 2026 fiscal year, the company’s order book peaked at AU$29 million, a record for AML3D.
The company finalized commissioning of nearly AU$7 million worth of ARCEMY systems in Q4, and brought in AU$3.5 million in cash receipts, with the latter totaling AU$10.4 million for the year, up around 20 percent over 2025.Meanwhile, in the current quarter, AML3D notes that it has finalized commissioning of the first two ARCEMY systems ordered by Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), and is targeting delivery of the four more NNS systems on order by the beginning of 2027.The company also finished installing its first containerized system, located at the US Navy AM CoE in Danville, Virginia, operated by Austal USA.
That’s the third ARCEMY system for Austal USA, bringing the total to five ARCEMY systems dedicated to US Navy production in Virginia alone.The company also recently added US Navy Rear Admiral David Goggins, who has served as Special Assistant for AUKUS, as a board advisor, after previously adding Larissa Smith, who was Director of Advanced Manufacturing for the US Navy Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) Program, in the same capacity.Finally, AML3D has continued to make strides with its planned Technology Centers in both the US and Europe, investing the first tranche (AU$1.5 million) in its Stow, Ohio facility, and setting aside AU$5 million for the upcoming center in the UK.
AML3D at HSO.Image courtesy of Austal Australia Looking forward, AML3D sees a strong global sales pipeline of AU$78 million (~$54 million).The company also has an AU$2.6 million order from the US Navy for five out-of-production parts that it’s working on over the next 10 months, and is executing an R&D program in Australia to accelerate the ARCEMY system’s throughput.
All in all, AML3D has put together a pretty compelling blueprint for a new way to enter the global manufacturing hardware market.It’s targeting the right core customer (the US Navy) but simultaneously keeping an eye towards diversifying, both in terms of markets outside defense, as well as defense markets outside the US.It’s turning qualification contracts into machine sales, and reapplying the lessons about what has worked in earlier phases as it scales.
The next couple of years should be especially interesting, given the broader context I laid out in the first paragraph.There is likely to be a spike in demand for precisely what AML3D is offering: the ability to integrate manufacturing operations for strategic sectors across three continents, from the Atlantic to the Pacific.Granted it is on quite a minimal scale thus far, but the company has proven that it can handle significantly growing its operations.
The progress of the technology center in Ohio, which, when it’s finished, the company states will double its AM capacity, could be the most critical component in the overall buildout.AML3D has succeeded most when it’s been able to seed future business down the road with initial, low-rate production contracts that serve as proof-of-concept.If it can ensure that it always has multiple such projects on deck in the US, the results may not be immediate, but success would signal realistic potential for its transformation into a much larger company by the end of the decade.
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