Hardware Podcasts

Building Drones at Scale: SLS Production from Low-Volume to High-Rate Manufacturing

Additive Snack · 29 Sept 2026 · 44m · Episode 42

What this episode covers

Nick Classen, General Manager of Northwest Rapid Manufacturing, explains how the company evolved from supporting Northwest UAV into a high-rate production provider for UAVs using EOS SLS technology. He details the shift from prototyping to end-use parts, highlighting specific applications like conformal fuel tanks, EMI-shielded housings, and structural brackets made from Nylon 12, Alumide, and glass-filled polymers. Classen discusses the operational challenges of scaling production, the critical role of post-processing, and the company's strategic expansion into metal AM (DMLS) to meet growing defense and aerospace demand.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Northwest Rapid Manufacturing, Northwest UAV, EOS, Situ, Archer
Tools
DMLS
Materials
Nylon 12, Alumide
Also
EMI shielding

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