Through an exclusive tie-up with CRG Defense, Italy’s Roboze leverages its Bari-built Argo 1000 Hypermelt large-format printer and Texas-based hub to deliver certified, high-performance polymer parts on demand, bolstering resilient and secure supply chains for the US DoD
From Bari with love. CRG Defense (formerly Cornerstone Research Group) has become only the second US outfit to install the Argo 1000 Hypermelt, a 1 m³ large‑format 3D printer from Italian company Roboze.
- The Fused Granulate Fabrication (FGF) system handles super‑polymers (PEKK, Ultem 9085), carbon‑fibre PEEK, elastomers and even bio‑based resins at ±0.2 mm accuracy.
- It complements CRG’s $2.5 million US Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office contract to develop ultra‑high‑temperature AM systems.
Why it matters. A 1 × 1 × 1 m build volume means entire drones, jigs or fuel‑system manifolds can be printed in hours—no overseas supply chain required.
- CRG’s U.S.‑based facility and existing federal contract vehicles remove hurdles for foreign‑friendly innovators to enter DoD programmes.
- As Francesco Pantaleone, Roboze Global Sales Manager, told our sister magazine Airpress, Roboze’s all-EU/US polymer supply avoids any China-linked bottlenecks, which are critical for defence resilience.
The Italian connection. Bari‑born Roboze brings deep‑tech R&D and an on‑the‑ground Texan hub to America’s tightly regulated defence sphere.
- Pantaleone emphasises digital stockrooms of printable “digital twins” for helicopters, tactical vehicles and energy plants—cutting logistics downtime.
- Roboze has had a Texas outpost for years, supplying Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, and the US Army—and now gains structured DoD access via this exclusive tie-up.
- Roboze’s move underscores that Southern Italian creativity remains a force on the world stage.
What’s Next
- CRG will utilise the Hypermelt both to fulfil today’s parts-on-demand needs (motorsports, oil & gas, automotive) and to feed data into its next-generation AM research.
- Roboze aims to deepen its DoD pipeline—now with certified materials in hand and CRG as its technical springboard.
