Projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of War in AMT’s Emerging Technology Center demonstrate how AI, additive manufacturing, automation, and digital technologies enable rapid deployment and adaptation to changing requirements.

McLean, Va. (August 25, 2026) - What does compressing cycle time, strengthening supply chains, and building the U.S. defense industrial base look like? It looks exactly like the live production and flying of quadcopter drones and the 11-foot-tall Aires Tide test flight vehicle showcased in the AMT Emerging Technology Center (ETC) at IMTS 2026 - The International Manufacturing Technology Show. Together, the projects demonstrate how advanced manufacturing technologies can help the United States develop and produce critical capabilities faster while increasing the flexibility of domestic manufacturing.

The ETC features a full-scale manufacturing cell developed by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Combining automation with subtractive and additive manufacturing, the cell will produce quadcopter airframes that will then fly in a safely netted area.

Aires Tide is one of the first tangible results of the Genesis Mission, a DOE initiative using AI and advanced computing to accelerate scientific discovery and national security solutions. The project was led by Sandia National Laboratories, with support from Sandia's Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation (CAMINO), Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Kansas City Nuclear Security Campus (KCNSC). It illustrates the ability to apply AI, advanced computing, and additive manufacturing to rapidly design and deliver solutions for national security while reducing development time and costs.

"The ETC demonstrates how we can use new technologies and innovative thinking to strengthen the U.S. industrial base and create surge capacity in times of disruption," says Douglas K. Woods, president of AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology, which owns and produces IMTS. "What makes the ETC so powerful is that the technologies we need for national defense are the same ones that can make domestic manufacturing more efficient and competitive."
IMTS 2026, held Sept. 14-19 at Chicago's McCormick Place, is the largest manufacturing technology show in the Western Hemisphere. It will attract more than 89,000 registrants and feature 1.2 million square feet of exhibit space, 1,600 exhibitors, and hundreds of presentations and attractions, including the ETC. The ETC is located just inside the North Building, in IMTS booth #236700.

"The ETC brings concepts like digital twins, automation, and AI into a tangible, credible manufacturing context, helping IMTS visitors see what their operation could look like in the future," adds Ryan Kelly, vice president of technology at AMT. "Other than the government supercomputer used for Air es Tide, the machines and technologies showcased in the ETC are available for visitors to explore on the IMTS show floor."

IMTS exhibitor solutions used for drone production include Mazak's made-in-the-USA VC-Ez-20X CNC and its new low-cost 5-axis VC-Ez WAAM (wire arc additive manufacturing) system, FANUC robots, Edgewater Automation integration, the MTConnect standard to communicate production data, Open Mind (HyperMILL) CAD/CAM software, Kennametal tooling, and Schunk workholding.
"Our demonstration shows manufacturers how flexible production systems can quickly move from design to production while adapting to changing requirements," says Thomas Feldhausen, an R&D staff member at ORNL. "By making bodies for drones with 3.5-, 5-, and 10-inch rotors, we're presenting how we can address high-mix, low-volume production, as well as transition into higher-rate production to meet supply chain demands."

The ORNL demonstration was supported, in part, by funds made available by the Department of War (DOW) Warfighting, Investment, Resourcing, and Execution (WIRE) Directorate using appropriated funds under the Industrial Base Fund authority.

AI Compresses Development Time
The full-scale, 11-foot-tall Aires Tide flight vehicle to be showcased at IMTS was produced on a Velo3D Sapphire XC metal additive manufacturing system using Inconel 718. On May 19, 2026, a half-scale Aires Tide vehicle was dropped from an altitude of 32,000 feet at the U.S. Army Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. The test generated flight data that will help the team assess performance, validate modeling and simulation results, and refine future designs.

"We went from a concept in October to a test flight in May, and the DOE is excited," said Lonnie Love, Ph.D., fellow at Sandia National Laboratories. "We demonstrated a framework in which we can develop new designs and test them in weeks or months rather than years."

The development timeline for Aires Tide was about seven times faster and 15 times less expensive than traditional manufacturing. AI also helps engineers rapidly adjust vehicle designs for different payloads and flight requirements.

"Traditionally, changing vehicle designs to accommodate different payloads or flight forces would take engineering teams months," says Love. "AI enables us to get the design to about 95% of the way there in days and hours; then we can add in design constraints with respect to additive manufacturing."