Amaero Is Building U.S. Metal Powder Capacity for Additive Manufacturing

The Powder Problem Is Real

Metal 3D printing in the United States has a supply chain bottleneck: the powder. LPBF, DMLS, and cold spray processes all depend on a consistent supply of highly spherical, chemically pure metal powders. For years, most premium titanium and refractory alloy powders used in American additive manufacturing were sourced from overseas. That is a vulnerability the Department of Defense has been keen to address.

Amaero, based in McDonald, Tennessee, is building what it says is the largest and most advanced domestic metal powder production capacity in the United States. The company operates Electrode Induction Gas Atomization (EIGA) systems, which produce powder by melting metal electrodes and breaking the molten stream into droplets with a high-velocity inert gas.

Why EIGA Matters

Not all gas atomization is the same. EIGA is recognized as the cleanest method for producing reactive and high-melting-point powders. The process avoids introducing contaminants from a crucible, which matters for materials like titanium and niobium alloys that absorb oxygen and nitrogen easily. The result is powder with tighter chemistry control and more consistent flow behavior, both of which directly affect print quality and part performance.

Amaero produces Ti-6Al-4V, the workhorse alloy for aerospace and defense additive manufacturing, as well as refractory materials such as C103, a niobium alloy designed for extreme heat applications. Those materials go into rocket components, turbine parts, and defense hardware where failure is not an option.

Onshoring for Defense and Beyond

Amaero's expansion is tied directly to Defense Industrial Base priorities. The company received a $23.5 million loan approval from the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and its capacity targets align with America Makes roadmaps for domestic additive manufacturing supply chains.

The company plans to double its powder production capacity over the next two to three years. Beyond powder, Amaero also offers Powder Metallurgy Hot Isostatic Pressing (PM-HIP), an alternative to conventional castings and forgings that can reduce lead times for near-net-shape metal components.

The Bigger Picture

The United States is not short on metal 3D printers. What it has lacked is a deep, domestic supplier base for the materials those printers consume. If Amaero delivers on its capacity expansion, it removes one of the structural constraints on American metal additive manufacturing scale. Defense programs that want to source qualified powder from a U.S. supplier with audited processes and classified capability will have an option that did not exist at this scale until recently.