EP 80 — Lothric Labs' Jonathan DiMattei on Capability vs Compliance in Defense Manufacturing

Jonathan DiMattei, Founder & CEO of Lothric Labs, describes his pathway into defense manufacturing as fearless, relentless, and totally unbiased networking. He attended every ribbon cutting, grand opening, and Chamber of Commerce event he could find, regardless of industry. The breakthrough came at World Trade Center Denver, where events put him directly in front of United Airlines, Lockheed Martin, and defense contractors. His team's thousands of hours of lived 3D printing experience made the elevator pitch natural rather than rehearsed. Ten months after opening Lothric Labs to the public, they secured over 50 active clients and became the US strategic partner for Ultimaker, the only 3D printer adopted by the U.S. Army.

The biggest challenge for small manufacturers entering defense isn't technical capability but compliance, warns Jonathan. You can master aerospace-grade 3D printing, network into meetings with defense contractors, and shake hands with CEOs, but without CMMC certification, you're not getting the 3D model files. Some defense companies are softer, asking to see compliance on the roadmap. Others had hard lines. Luckily, publicly accessible SCIF spaces are now creating pathways for smaller manufacturers to access government-compliant networks and start bidding without building multi-million dollar facilities. The real bottleneck isn't equipment but knowledge: which materials to use among thousands of options, how to optimize CAD models for additive manufacturing, and navigating the compliance requirements that gate access to classified work.

Topics discussed:

• How publicly accessible SCIF spaces enable small manufacturers to bid on defense contracts without building their own secure facilities.
• The evolution from 40-hour print times on early desktop 3D printers to machines that are 5-7 times faster, enabling true rapid prototyping.
• Why Ultimaker is the only Army-adopted 3D printing solution with no internet connectivity or camera capability for classified manufacturing.
• How Ferrari's entirely 3D printed F80 suspension demonstrates the shift from prototyping-only applications to final production aerospace-grade parts.
• Why CMMC compliance creates a bigger barrier than technical capability for small defense suppliers who can't receive 3D models without proper certifications.
• Material selection challenges among thousands of 3D printing options and why using the wrong material with expensive equipment leads to complete project failure.

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