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Electronics Additive Manufacturing for Defense and Space
October 27, 2020 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: Less than a minute

At the SMTA Additive Electronics TechXchange, Dr. Kourtney Wright spoke about Lockheed’s DoD work and explained why Lockheed is interested in additive. She has a background in chemistry and is now working in electronics chemistries.
Early in her presentation, Wright used the phrase “from the art to the part, quickly”—a euphemism that captured why Lockheed has an interest in additive. She outlined Lockheed’s objectives as follows:
- Small quantity manufacturing
- Unique designs
- 3D/conformal geometries
- Agile design and development, including rapid prototyping and single-part manufacturing
- Iterative design
- Finely tuned electronics
- Lower program cost, lower deployment cost, and quicker diagnosis of problems
Wright finished her presentation with an overview of the copper inks Lockheed is developing, evaluating, and using. She pointed out that to make the paste for printing, copper nanoparticles are passivated into the paste. Of particular interest was the fact that the copper paste, she noted, is solderable (unlike silver).
As she wrapped up her presentation, Wright shared one example application for additive and flex. Flex circuits can be used to replace a traditional wire harness, simplifying replacement to repair a failure—a plug-in replacement versus troubleshooting the location of a failed individual wire.
Suggested Items
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
07/11/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineThis week, we have quite a variety of news items and articles for you. News continues to stream out of Washington, D.C., with tariffs rearing their controversial head again. Because these tariffs are targeted at overseas copper manufacturers, this news has a direct effect on our industry.I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
Digital Twin Concept in Copper Electroplating Process Performance
07/11/2025 | Aga Franczak, Robrecht Belis, Elsyca N.V.PCB manufacturing involves transforming a design into a physical board while meeting specific requirements. Understanding these design specifications is crucial, as they directly impact the PCB's fabrication process, performance, and yield rate. One key design specification is copper thieving—the addition of “dummy” pads across the surface that are plated along with the features designed on the outer layers. The purpose of the process is to provide a uniform distribution of copper across the outer layers to make the plating current density and plating in the holes more uniform.
Trump Copper Tariffs Spark Concern
07/10/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamPresident Donald Trump stated on July 8 that he plans to impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, sparking concern in a global industry whose output is critical to electric vehicles, military hardware, semiconductors, and a wide range of consumer goods. According to Yahoo Finance, copper futures climbed over 2% following tariff confirmation.
Happy’s Tech Talk #40: Factors in PTH Reliability—Hole Voids
07/09/2025 | Happy Holden -- Column: Happy’s Tech TalkWhen we consider via reliability, the major contributing factors are typically processing deviations. These can be subtle and not always visible. One particularly insightful column was by Mike Carano, “Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper,” where he outlined some of the possible causes of hole defects for both plated through-hole (PTH) and blind vias.
Trouble in Your Tank: Can You Drill the Perfect Hole?
07/07/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the movie “Friday Night Lights,” the head football coach (played by Billy Bob Thornton) addresses his high school football team on a hot day in August in West Texas. He asks his players one question: “Can you be perfect?” That is an interesting question, in football and the printed circuit board fabrication world, where being perfect is somewhat elusive. When it comes to mechanical drilling and via formation, can you drill the perfect hole time after time?