Fabian Alefeld welcomes back Thomas Pomorski of Ursa Major to discuss developments over the past year across three focus areas: hypersonics, solid rocket motors, and in-space propulsion. Pomorski reports more than nine hypersonic missions flown with the reusable, ~80% 3D-printed Hadley engine and two successful test flights of the storable Draper engine with AFRL, plus progress on Ursa’s LINX solid rocket motor manufacturing approach using additive for tooling and cases to enable flexible “unit cell” scaling. They cover key hypersonics challenges around affordability and manufacturability and why a storable liquid rocket approach can reduce testing complexity. Much of the conversation focuses on AI’s current value in development: rapidly prototyping slicer features and scan strategies, building data-fusion and monitoring tools via EOS APIs, and enabling small teams to operate with much higher productivity, while noting production validation remains challenging.
00:00 Welcome Back Thomas
01:48 Ursa Major Year Update
02:37 Hypersonic Flight Milestones
04:05 Solid Motors and LINX
05:21 Additive Scale Up Tools
06:39 Hypersonic Cost Challenge
11:58 Solid Motor Unit Cells
15:37 Additive Geometry vs Supply
18:01 AI in Additive Workflows
24:33 AI Productivity Multiplier
29:33 Live Claude Slicer Demo
35:13 Prompting Claude Code
36:35 Sharing Team Workflows
38:40 Production AI Readiness
42:20 Slicer Feature Results
44:49 Closed Loop Optimization
46:46 AI Built Web Monitor
What is Additive Snack?
Join host Fabian Alefeld and a range of guests as they discuss all things additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing news, with interviews and real-world stories to educate and entertain. Each episode, Fabian talks to AM experts, professionals in specialist fields, and 3D printing users from all walks of life to deliver a well-rounded view on the state of AM.
Cut through the confusion surrounding polymer and metal additive manufacturing solutions with our digestible, down-to-earth discussions that deliver insights into common mistakes and best practice tips so you can get a clear understanding of AM — layer for layer.
Whether you’re curious about 3D printing technology for the aerospace industry, a deep dive into post processing, or applications of injection molding — we leave no spare parts behind. We want to provide you with the additive insight needed to stay laser focused and leverage every opportunity 3D printing materials have to offer.
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