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The 2027 agenda

Eight bounded questions open the 2027 additive manufacturing agenda. Each comes from a baseline finding, names the initiative that will carry it and the first output due in the 2027 additive manufacturing edition.

5 min read0 figures6 tables3 notesNR-XTECH-MANUFACTURING-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE

Contents
  1. ·Edition home
  2. ·Executive summary
  3. 1Additive manufacturing is production infrastructure that is still being qualified
  4. 2Key findings
  5. 3Systems and sectors at baseline
  6. 4Risks and capability
  7. 5Defence demand outruns part acceptance and supply
  8. 6Readings from the other desks
  9. 7The 2027 agenda
    1. 7.1 Questions for the operational series
    2. 7.2 Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment
    3. 7.3 The pathway
    4. 7.4 Universe 2027: evidence pack for the additive manufacturing candidate mission
    5. 7.5 Handoffs and routing
    6. 7.6 Feeds and signal register
  10. 8Systems in depth
  11. AMethodology
  12. BData appendix
  13. CReferences and record
  14. ·Complete edition, for print

7.1Questions for the operational series

  1. M-01

    How fast can defence and aerospace qualify materials and processes, and what limits the rate?

    INI-XT13-QAL-01 · part acceptance; first output: part acceptance register by sector.

  2. M-02

    What do metal machines need in energy and inert gas per kilogram of part, on a common basis?

    INI-XT13-ENE-02 · process footprint; first output: footprint estimates by process.

  3. M-03

    How large is the supply of qualified metal powder, and where are the chokepoints?

    INI-XT13-PWD-03 · powder supply; first output: supply map.

  4. M-04

    Which machines, materials and software are single points of failure for production lines?

    INI-XT13-DEP-04 · dependence; first output: dependence map.

  5. M-05

    How can production claims, yield and scrap be compared on a common basis?

    INI-XT13-BMK-05 · claims on a common basis; first output: benchmark table.

  6. M-06

    Which national controls and strategies set rules for machines, feedstock and files, and how do they differ?

    To be admitted in 2027; first output: controls overlay.

  7. M-07

    What workforce exists for operating, qualifying and finishing additive parts?

    To be admitted in 2027; first output: scoping note.

  8. M-08

    Which readiness capabilities have been tested in real production, and which are only planned?

    Readiness capability register; first output: rung evidence for 15 functions.

7.2Portfolio proposed for the Q1 2027 alignment

Five initiatives and one Universe mission candidate are proposed for the 2027 additive manufacturing portfolio. They are programme objects: no partner, funder or member is attached to them in this edition.

Table 7.1Objects proposed for the first operational quarter
IDObjectKindQuestionState
INI-XT13-QAL-01Part acceptanceInitiativeM-01PROPOSED
INI-XT13-ENE-02Process footprintInitiativeM-02PROPOSED
INI-XT13-PWD-03Powder supplyInitiativeM-03PROPOSED
INI-XT13-DEP-04DependenceInitiativeM-04PROPOSED
INI-XT13-BMK-05Claims on a common basisInitiativeM-05PROPOSED
MSN-XT13-2027-01Defence demand Universe missionMissionM-01Candidate

7.3The pathway

The additive manufacturing edition reads national industrial readiness chapters, the coupled sector reports on infrastructure, minerals and supply chains, and the global edition through one governed evidence graph. At baseline the federation is designed; the global energy and lifeline editions are drafted. This page states what exists today and what comes next.

  1. 01

    National readiness chapters

    industrial and defence production readiness in each national edition

    IN PREPARATION · national baselines

  2. 02

    Sector couplings

    GS-02 energy · GS-09 infrastructure · SR-04 minerals

    GS-02 DRAFTED · sector baselines

  3. 03

    Technology system model

    machines, feedstock, energy, part acceptance, workforce, governance

    v0 SPECIFIED · v1 with federation evidence

  4. 04

    Strategic links

    SR-03 supply chains and chokepoints · SR-13 strategic technology

    PLANNED · strategic baselines

  5. 05

    Universe

    annual proving environment

    CANDIDATE MISSION · mandate in 2027

  6. 06

    XT-13 report

    this series

    BASELINE DRAFT · 2027 annual edition

  7. 07

    Evidence and correction

    one graph, many projections

    OPEN · first correction cycle in 2027

7.4Universe 2027: evidence pack for the additive manufacturing candidate mission

  1. 01

    Mandate

  2. 02

    Core Build · 1 month

  3. 03

    Action · 1 week

  4. 04

    Evidence seal

  5. 05

    Portfolio correction

  6. 06

    Next mandate

Table 7.2Universe 2027: evidence pack for the additive manufacturing candidate mission
ItemRecordStateTiming
F1Annual mandate recordPLANNEDafter the Q2 2027 alignment
F2Core Build recordPLANNEDone month before the exercise
F3Exercise evidencePLANNEDduring the Action week
F4Decision packetsPLANNEDexercise state only
F5Proof receiptsPLANNEDscoped to each recorded check
F6After-action reportPLANNEDwithin one quarter
F7Upgrade docketPLANNEDrouted to the Portfolio
F8Portfolio renewalPLANNED2027 global annual edition
F9Public synthesisPLANNEDpublic-safe extracts only

Mission

ID
MSN-XT13-2027-01 · Defence demand Universe mission
Role spine
Leadership sponsor · Institutional anchor · Mission lead: drawn from national pathways
Receiving actors
to be identified with the mandate

7.5Handoffs and routing

Where the baseline’s findings go next. A handoff routes a finding for awareness, review or work; it transfers no authority.

Table 7.3Handoffs and routing
FindingRouted toPurposeClass
FIN-002 · market sizeINI-XT13-BMK-05claims on a common basisPUBLIC
FIN-003 · machine-maker resultsINI-XT13-DEP-04dependencePUBLIC
GOV-007 · Navy partsINI-XT13-QAL-01part acceptancePUBLIC
ENE-008 · process energyINI-XT13-ENE-02 · key F reviewprocess footprintPUBLIC
HLT-009 · powder exposureINI-XT13-ENE-02process footprintPUBLIC
GOV-010 · export controlsregional consortiacontrols overlayPUBLIC
INF-011 · benchmarksINI-XT13-BMK-05claims on a common basisPUBLIC
SYS-012 · compound pathwayMSN-XT13-2027-01Universe candidateCONSORTIUM
Table 7.4Routing rules by publication class
ClassWhere it goesWho can see it
PUBLICthe published edition and its evidence bundleanyone
CONSORTIUMgoverned rooms of the federationconsortium members under agreement
CONTROLLEDneed-to-know channelsnamed competent actors only

7.6Feeds and signal register

Table 7.5Feeds watched from 2027
FeedProducerLatencyFeeds into
Wohlers Report and trade presscommercial surveyannualFIN-002
Listed company resultscompaniesquarterlyFIN-003
Navy and DoD releasesUS governmentper eventGOV-007
NIST additive manufacturing pagesNISTper releaseINF-011
NIOSH evaluationsNIOSHper releaseHLT-009
Federal Register export-control rulesBISper ruleGOV-010
Critical minerals outlookIEAannualMIN-010

Escalation routes

  • none · keep monitoring
  • research question
  • project
  • risk object
  • annual publication
  • signal report
Table 7.6Signals at baseline
IDSignalCorroborationSystemsRoute
SIG-XT13-001Revenue growth of 10.9% in 20252PARTIALFINresearch question M-05
SIG-XT13-002Machine-maker Chapter 11 filing in 20255CORROBORATEDFIN · INFinitiative M-04
SIG-XT13-003Navy parts installed in 20267PARTIALGOV · INFresearch question M-01

Notes

Numbers are the edition’s reference numbers, so a note reads the same in every chapter. The full list, with every source and its licence, is in Annex C. Annex C, references

  1. 2Voulpiotis, F. (3Dnatives), Wohlers Report 2026: growth continues, but caution defines the AM market (trade article, 17 February 2026; weak evidence: a trade summary of a commercial report; reports 2025 revenue USD 24.231 billion, up 10.9%, services up 15.5% with 48% share, machine sales up 3.6%, Asia-Pacific up 19.8%, Europe and the Americas up 9%). 3Dnatives, Paris. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  2. 5Nano Dimension Ltd. (ed.), Annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended 31 December 2025 (first 100,000 characters read; Desktop Metal Chapter 11 filing on 28 July 2025; Markforged acquisition closed 25 April 2025; revenue tables not read). Nano Dimension, Waltham. Observation year 2025. Accessed 2026-11-03.back
  3. 7Jones, M. (NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support), Shattering bottlenecks: NAVSUP WSS partners with DLA and NAVSEA on submarine advanced manufacturing (official release via the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, 30 June 2026; nearly 120 additive parts in development, 20 installed, more than 1,400 cumulative days of delay removed, lead times cut by up to 70% for some components; not independently audited). US Navy, Mechanicsburg. Observation year 2026. Accessed 2026-11-03.back

Cite this chapter

Valadbaygi, S. (Ed.). (2026). Chapter 7: The 2027 agenda. In Exponential Technology Report 2026: Additive and Advanced Manufacturing (Baseline Edition 2026, Report No. NR-XTECH-MANUFACTURING-GLOBAL-2026-BASELINE) [Draft under review]. The Global Centre for Risk and Innovation (GCRI).

Every citation form of the whole report, BibTeX and RIS included, is on the edition home. Cite this report

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