The DigitalManufacturing Centre (DMC), an industry-leading production facility and additivemanufacturing (AM) innovation hub, hosted the latest UK MOD Strategic Command’sAdditive Manufacturing innovation event, on 5 March 2025. This MOD/industry collaborative event was heldat DMC’s state-of-the-art AM production facility, located at the world-renownedSilverstone Park. The event was also supported by the BuckinghamshireEnterprise Zone.
Project TAMPAis a UK Strategic Command Defence Support sponsored project that is exploringthe advantages of integrating the very latest AM (3D-printing) technology “fromfactory to foxhole”. From the outset, DMC has been intimately involved withProject TAMPA and is working in close partnership with the MOD and key defenceplayers such as NP Aerospace, Babcock, Thales and RBSL, to support the developmentand delivery of this high-technology manufacturing capability, into the defencesupply chain. Fully aligned with theMOD’s Land Industrial Strategy (LIS) and the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS),TAMPA is a spearhead initiative that is driving forward proactive collaborationwith industry to rapidly find and integrate the very latest manufacturing technologies.
TAMPA Spiral1 validated the ability of AM to produce non-safety critical NATO Stock Number(NSN) parts to the appropriate quality and Spiral 2 is expanding therequirement to include safety critical parts and demonstrate the ability for AMto add value to the part production process. DMC is also working in partnership with NP Aerospace to investigate theadditional AM benefits possible by using Direct Energy Deposition (DED) methodsto create large metal structural parts leveraging the benefits of AM to reducelead times, reliance on tooling and cost. The advantages of AM in the defencesupply chain are numerous and include: weight saving; cost reduction; speed andagility; innovation in design, obsolescence management, inventory managementand potentially, forward deployed additive manufacturing support.
Major GeneralPhil Prosser, Director Joint Support said, “As the MOD’s Advanced Manufacturing Champion, it ishugely rewarding to witness what we have achieved by exploring and harnessingthe benefits that additive manufacturing can bring. Project TAMPA is a prime example of how the MOD can work in partnershipwith both major defence contractors and smaller innovative British companies likethe DMC, to push the boundariesof innovation and technology to maximise defence capability. Collaborating withdefence primes and high-technology SME’s in this way is critical to protectingand developing the UK defence supply chain.”
Kieron Salter,CEO at DMC said, “We are very proud to have hosted such an important MOD event atour facility in Silverstone Park. DMChas an advanced engineering pedigree born from the most demanding of sectors suchas Formula 1, hyper-cars, aerospace and space. At DMC, we pride ourselves in adopting a holistic approach to additivemanufacturing; applying creativity and innovation to our engineering that leadsto an optimised final production solution – we don’t just 3D-print to drawing. From hyper-cars to armoured vehicles, we applythe same pioneering solutions to ensure the customer secures the maximumbenefit from the AM process and it has been a real pleasure to be working onProject TAMPA. I know that we have only just scratched the surface of what ispossible through working together with the MOD and the defence supply chain likethis, to achieve greater benefits – lots more to come.”
