When DM3D took on NASA's RS-25 engine nozzle liner — 111 inches tall, with a 97-inch-diameter base — conventional tooling and die approaches were never on the table. The Auburn Hills, Michigan, company built its own multi-nozzle direct metal deposition (DMD) systems to handle the geometry, running ANSYS simulation to model thermal stress and distortion before printing, and then confirming dimensional accuracy with structured light scanning. The result: more than 50% lead time reduction and 25% cost savings versus conventional methods, with a dual-process-head system that doubled throughput. DM3D prints in stainless steel, Inconel, copper alloys, aluminum and titanium — and is now moving to qualify titanium wire feed as cast titanium supply tightens.