Elementum 3D News – Elementum 3D

Elementum 3D Appoints Andrew Crickenberger as Chief Executive Officer to Accelerate Market Growth

educyber — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Accomplished aerospace and defense executive Andrew Crickenberger brings decades of leadership experience to drive Elementum 3D’s next phase of expansion.

Elementum 3D, a global leader in advanced metal additive manufacturing (AM) powder feedstocks, process development, and commercialization, today announced the appointment of Andrew Crickenberger as Chief Executive Officer, effective July 17, 2026. He succeeds Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein, founder of Elementum 3D, who will transition to Chief Strategy Officer while continuing to serve as Executive Chairman.

“I value the opportunity Elementum 3D has presented me and look forward to building on what its team has established within the additive manufacturing industry since 2014,” said Crickenberger. “My priority is to broaden Elementum 3D’s product portfolio, strengthen its position with existing customers, and accelerate entry into new markets. Elementum 3D has built an exceptional technology platform, and I’m excited to help lead the company’s next chapter of long-term growth and innovation.”

Crickenberger joins Elementum 3D with more than 30 years of executive leadership experience across the aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Throughout his career, he has successfully led corporate strategy, business transformation, mergers and acquisitions, venture investments, international partnerships, and new business development for some of the industry’s most recognized organizations.

Most recently, Crickenberger served as Chief Growth Officer for NIOA Group, where he was responsible for corporate strategy and global business growth initiatives across Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Prior to NIOA Group, he served as Vice President of Strategy for the $2.5 billion Aerojet Rocketdyne Segment of L3Harris Technologies. In that role, he directed strategic planning for advanced propulsion systems, including tactical and strategic solid rocket motors, hypersonic propulsion, missile control systems, and liquid rocket engines for space launch and in-space propulsion. He was also a member of the leadership team that successfully completed L3Harris’ $4.7 billion acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne and the Vice President of Strategy for the $7B Integrated Mission Systems Segment.

Earlier in his career, Crickenberger spent 25 years with Northrop Grumman, where he held several senior leadership positions, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for the Missile Products business. He also led the commercial business at the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, served on the boards of international joint ventures in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and established strategic partnerships throughout Australia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America.

“As Elementum 3D enters its next phase of growth, I’m confident Andrew’s leadership experience and strategic vision make him the ideal person to guide the company forward,” Nuechterlein said. “Transitioning into the role of Chief Strategy Officer will allow me to focus on advancing our long-term technology roadmap. I’m incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished, and excited to see what we will achieve together under Andrew’s leadership.”

Crickenberger and Nuechterlein will work closely together over the coming weeks to ensure a seamless leadership transition as part of the company’s long-term succession plan.

Crickenberger holds a Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science and Mechanics from Virginia Tech.

Dr. Jacob Nuechterlein featured in BSV Podcast

educyber — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:41:38 +0000

Balerion Space Ventures Principal Emerson Garnett sits down with Jacob Nuechterlein, Founder & President of Elementum 3D, to discuss metal additive materials.

Click to watch the podcast

Astrobotic Tests Rocket Engine Made with Elementum 3D Materials

educyber — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 20:19:49 +0000

Astrobotic has completed a series of hot-fire tests for its Chakram rotating detonation rocket engine, with additive manufacturing (AM) playing an important role in how the engine was built. The company conducted the tests at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, where two prototypes ran across eight tests totaling 470 seconds, including a 300-second continuous burn that may be the longest of its kind to date. Of course, the performance stands out, but what really matters here is how the engine was built.

NASA’s GRX-810 Additive Manufacturing alloy wins Commercial Invention of the Year

educyber — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 20:11:52 +0000

NASA Glenn’s GRX-810 alloy has been named Commercial Invention of the Year by NASA’s Inventions and Contributions Board (ICB). The alloy has been adopted by both NASA and commercial users for additively manufactured parts required to withstand extreme conditions.

Elementum 3D’s Jacob Nuechterlein Finds Strength in Winning Combinations

educyber — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 20:09:59 +0000

The Stone Age. The Bronze Age. The Iron Age. Humanity’s early eras are named for the most advanced material of their day.

Full Article link: https://perspectives.vistage.com/summer-2025/in-the-mix/

Register NOW for the Webinar

educyber — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 21:55:32 +0000

Bridging the Gap: Scaling AM Government Contracting

Join us on Wednesday, July 30 at 11am ET for this highly anticipated 1-hour live Bridging the Gap webinar. Learn ways of success when engaging with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Our presenting experts will focus on approaches beyond initial engagement that work in the marketplace and government procurement along with real world successes.

It’s true that operating in the DoD market is daunting, especially so for “non-traditional” defense contractors, but the U.S. Defense market provides a substantial opportunity for the additive manufacturing (AM) community to increase its integration into defense applications. An interactive Q&A session will follow the presentations.

Key Scaling Insights:

Defense priorities/budgets/trends
Additive manufacturing in U.S. forces
Defense contracting processes
Business development within DoD
CMMC accreditation
U.S. Defense networking
Importance of clear and honest communication

Elementum 3D Included in $46B US Air Force Contract

edusupport@educyber.com — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 03:56:19 +0000

Erie, Colorado—Elementum 3D, a leading developer and supplier of metal additive manufacturing (AM) advanced materials, print parameters, and services, has been chosen by the U.S. Air Force to be included in the Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract (EWAAC) indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) vehicle initiative.

This contract, capped at $46B through 2031, funds an initiative to quickly meet PEO (Program Executive Officer) Weapons program requirements, primarily emphasizing Armament and Digital Trinity (agile software development, open architecture, and digital engineering, aimed at facilitating a digital transformation) air armament-related activities. The EWAAC IDIQ initiative will come from interagency collaborations and external agency allocations. No predetermined funding will be issued.

EWAAC IDIQ’s goal is to expedite the acquisition process with enhanced modernization efforts, including weapons systems requirements development, research and development, testing and evaluation, production and fielding, prototyping, weapon design, system modeling, and demonstrations. The contract emphasizes the implementation of digital acquisition and sustainment practices aimed at maintaining the Air Force’s technological superiority.

Elementum 3D will integrate its extensive metal additive manufacturing expertise and high-performance materials knowledge to support the open, agile, and digital armament mission. The company has a proven track record of novel solutions, innovative ideas, and advanced materials that will inspire evolutionary, revolutionary, and disruptive capabilities for the United States.

Additional information related to the EWAAC contract:

https://www.ewaacportal.com/awardees

https://www.ewaacportal.com/awards

https://sam.gov/opp/326f6422afb84f03bc5020252b434176/view

https://www.govconwire.com/2025/03/air-force-ewaac-vehicle-4th-on-ramp/

On Ramp IV PAC Q & A

Purdue Space Program has success with A6061-RAM2 material

educyber — Thu, 17 Apr 2025 22:45:16 +0000

The Purdue Space Program-Active Controls (PSP-AC) team achieves another Collegiate Propulsive Lander Challenge (CPLC) milestone. The first hot fires of their TADPOLE propulsion system 3D printed with A6061-RAM2 on April 15 was a huge success!

Full article link: https://www.elementum3d.com/march-2024/

3DPOD 245: Advanced Metal 3D Printing Powders with Jacob Nuechterlein, Elementum 3D CEO

educyber — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 19:37:47 +0000

Metallurgist and materials scientist Jacob Nuechterlein founded Elementum 3D in 2014 based on a proprietary process for making powders that enhances both the powder and the final parts’ properties. Elementum 3D produces tantalum, copper, steel, aluminum, and more. In space, aerospace, defense, and Formula 1, the company enables the production of parts that would otherwise be impossible to manufacture.

Dyndrite and Elementum 3D Enables 3D Printed Metal Parts with Controlled Permeability

educyber — Thu, 13 Mar 2025 22:16:25 +0000

PermiAM, developed by Elementum 3D and Astrobotic, and soon accessible through Dyndrite’s LPBF Pro software enables LPBF engineers to 3D print to different parameter strategies within different volumes of the same part to allow for precise coolant flow, while maintaining structural integrity.
New dual use capability increases performance for hypersonics, rocket engines, data centers and next-gen propulsion systems where thermal protection is critical.
Elementum3D awarded an AFWERX contract to develop a proof-of-concept automation workflow which applies PermiAM to complex geometries with Dyndrite, to identify and develop real-world, dual use applications.
The companies are currently seeking candidates from the defense and space sectors for phase II development of real-world applications.

SEATTLE, WA, March 13, 2025— Today Dyndrite™, provider of the GPU-accelerated computation engine used to create next-generation digital manufacturing hardware and software, announced its Dyndrite LPBF Pro end-user software has been chosen by Elementum3D to integrate the company’s PermiAM® controlled permeability process, enabling Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) engineers to manufacture parts with porous and solid sections within a single build, enabling precise coolant flow while eliminating the need for assembly and reducing potential points of failure.