View this email in your browser

SurgePoint

Manufacturing Intelligence for Defense, Aerospace & Surging Markets

September 2, 2026 | Curated by

Derek Korn

Editor-in-Chief, Production Machining

Ginger Gardiner

Executive Editor, CompositesWorld

Containerized AM and Machining at Sea, On Demand

A containerized laser-wire directed energy deposition (DED) system just proved it can be part of a full manufacturing workflow — print, machine and finish — while a ship is at sea. Snowbird Technologies deployed its Samm Tech platform aboard USS Essex during RIMPAC 2026, producing 316L stainless steel components via DED and completing precision CNC machining to finish parts in a single container platform. After offloading at Pearl Harbor, the system moved to Schofield Barracks and fulfilled digital part requests across the exercise network. The platform uses wire feedstock rather than powder, which is said to enable safer operations in shipboard environments. Participating organizations are now conducting final assessments of performance and concept viability.

The Bottom Line: Contract manufacturers with DED and CNC integration capabilities should evaluate how their processes could be ruggedized and containerized to qualify for expeditionary sustainment programs.

Full Story

Command Center Aerospace & Defense · Federal Contracts

Closing
Within 14 Days

347

⚠ Deadlines approaching

Sources
Sought

Intel opps · shape the RFP

View Contract Opportunities ›

This Week in Manufacturing

Boeing Lands $131B F-15 Contract With Production Caveats — Breaking Defense

The U.S. Air Force awarded Boeing a sole-source indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $131.2 billion for F-15 aircraft production, upgrades and sustainment covering both U.S. and foreign military sales customers, with work expected to run through August 2037.

Read the Signal Brief

Pentagon's 'Brilliant at the Basics' Cyber Push May Cost More Than CMMC — National Defense Magazine

The Pentagon's "Brilliant at the Basics" cybersecurity campaign, launched July 13 alongside the 60-day CMMC Phase 2 pause, includes practices such as phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication and operational technology controls that could cost more to implement than CMMC verification itself.

Read the Signal Brief

Pentagon's Shift to Commercial Space Is Reshaping the Composites Supplier Landscape — CompositesWorld

BIS Research projects the global advanced space composites market to grow to $4.61 billion by 2033 at a 12.11% CAGR, as geopolitical competition and commercial satellite constellation buildouts drive accelerating demand for high-performance composite structures across launchers, satellites and reusable spacecraft.

Read the Signal Brief

The Connected Team

Cross-Ply Specimens Outperform Unidirectional

Although it's common practice to perform in-plane shear tests using 0° UD composite specimens with fibers oriented lengthwise in the specimen, there are significant advantages to using a [0/90] ns cross‑ply laminate for in‑plane shear testing. Not only are cross‑ply specimens less fragile, they also produce a more uniform state of shear stress and shear strain in the notched test section, thus allowing more accurate measurement of shear modulus and shear strength than UD specimens.

— Dan Adams, President | Wyoming Test Fixtures

Full Story

Visit us at mfgconnected.com

A product of Gardner Business Media

Connect · Engage · Follow

Gardner Business Media, Inc.
6915 Valley Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45244
800-950-8020 · gardnerweb.com

Unsubscribe · Privacy Policy

Trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners. Your privacy is important to Gardner Business Media, Inc.

© 2026 All Rights Reserved. Gardner Business Media, Inc.