The National Additive Manufacturing and Innovation Company (NAMI) has received a manufacturing license from the Saudi General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), authorizing the company to undertake regulated military manufacturing activities for defense programs in Saudi Arabia.
The approval enables NAMI, a joint venture between 3D Systems, the Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company Dussur, and Saudi Energy, to qualify and manufacture additively manufactured components for the Kingdom's defense sector.
The license is expected to support collaboration with international aerospace and defense companies seeking to localize manufacturing closer to deployment sites. Under regulated defense manufacturing requirements, components must undergo stringent qualification processes covering materials, printing parameters, post-processing, and inspection procedures.
From a non-destructive testing (NDT) perspective, the approval highlights the importance of certified inspection processes for safety-critical additively manufactured components. In addition to maintaining traceable powder batches and documented machine conditions, manufacturers are required to validate parts through both destructive and non-destructive testing before they can be approved for use.
Additive manufacturing offers advantages for producing complex geometries, low-volume production runs, and spare parts that typically involve long conventional manufacturing lead times. Localized, on-demand production also has the potential to reduce inventory requirements and minimize downtime.
Beyond defense applications, NAMI's manufacturing capabilities are intended to support the oil and gas, energy generation, and power transmission sectors, where digitally stored spare-part models can help maintain critical infrastructure during supply chain disruptions.
"This license expands the market accessible to NAMI and strengthens the foundation for long-term growth," said Mohammed Swaidan, CEO of NAMI. "It allows us to utilize our proven manufacturing capacities for regulated defense programs, expand the production of mission-critical components, and further strengthen Saudi Arabia's position in advanced manufacturing."
The licensing milestone aligns with Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to localize more than 50% of the country's military spending by 2030 through the development of domestic manufacturing capabilities.
"The GAMI license also emphasizes the strategic value of our joint venture in Saudi Arabia," said Dr. Jeffrey Graves, President and CEO of 3D Systems. "It enhances our ability to support leading original equipment manufacturers in the defense industry in their efforts to localize and increase the resilience of their supply chains in the kingdom. At the same time, it consolidates 3D Systems' position in the aerospace and defense industries."
According to the announcement, the long-term impact of the approval will depend on NAMI's ability to maintain certified manufacturing processes, secure component-specific approvals, and sustain production capacity for regulated defense applications.
