Kongsberg Puts Industrial Metal 3D Printing Into Norwegian Defense Production

Metal AM moves to the factory floor at Kongsberg

Norway's Kongsberg is installing two multi-laser metal 3D printing systems to speed up defense hardware development and production. The company is working with Germany's EOS and its AMCM affiliate, acquiring an AMCM M 4K and an AMCM M 290-2 1KW for its main production facility.

The machines can produce full-scale sections for technology demonstrators, product qualification, and flight-ready hardware. Kongsberg expects the technology to shorten development cycles by letting engineers move from digital designs to physical parts earlier in the process.

"Additive manufacturing is opening a whole new opportunity to challenge the traditional design and manufacturing process moving forward and represents a new way of thinking in design and manufacturing," said Sverre Ulland, SVP Strategic Production at Kongsberg's Missiles & Aerostructures division.

EOS and AMCM will support the rollout through their Additive Minds consulting unit, helping Kongsberg incorporate 3D printing into design and production workflows.

This fits a broader European trend. The European Defence Agency has been pushing additive manufacturing through its Additive Manufacturing Village program. In March, the agency hosted around 800 specialists from 14 EU member states for demonstrations of 3D-printed military components and mobile manufacturing systems.

The UK Ministry of Defence published its first Defence Advanced Manufacturing Strategy in March 2025, identifying additive manufacturing as a way to improve supply-chain resilience, reduce lead times, and make previously obsolete parts available again. Logistics is a clear application: on-demand manufacturing reduces dependence on complex supply chains and supports forces operating far from traditional facilities.

Kongsberg's move is early-stage but significant. The company is buying the hardware and the consulting support to use it properly. That is the realistic path for defense contractors: the machines are only as valuable as the teams that operate them.