Case Study: Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center achieves rapid prototyping and production-grade 3D printing for space missions with MakerBot

How the James Webb Space Telescope Engineers Started 3d Printing Components

Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center (ATC) faced the challenge of rapidly prototyping and validating components while working with NASA on large, complex programs like the James Webb Space Telescope. To avoid long lead times and expensive one-off parts, the ATC adopted MakerBot desktop 3D printers — starting with the MakerBot Replicator 2 — enabling quick, low-cost physical iterations (they printed over 250 objects in the first quarter).

MakerBot supplied a growing fleet (Replicator 2/2X, Replicator+, Z18 and later the METHOD X) that ATC used for nonstop prototyping, lab tools, and production-grade polymer parts; this accelerated design cycles, supported smaller imaging payloads such as SPIDER, and enabled harsh-environment testing for Artemis rover hardware using ABS on the METHOD X. The MakerBot deployment produced measurable impacts — hundreds of printed parts, continuous print runs, reduced reliance on costly fabricated parts, and faster validation of designs.

Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Technology Center

John Camp

Mechanical Engineer