This article is Part 3 of a three-part series based on 3DPrint.com’s visit to nScrypt’s Orlando headquarters and conversations with Ken Church.
There’s an interesting dynamic inside nScrypt’s Orlando headquarters. The company is clearly working on advanced electronics systems for aerospace, defense, and other high-performance industries, but some of the most interesting work happening there is also the hardest to discuss publicly. There is simply too much that can’t be said.
During 3DPrint.com’s visit to the facility, CEO Ken Church walked through the company’s technology, its history in additive electronics, and the challenge of talking publicly about work that often happens behind NDAs.
“We have some customers out there — some really big names,” Church said. “The more relevant electronic things that we’ve done, we don’t get to talk about.”
That level of secrecy is not uncommon in the industry. But in a field where so much attention is built around case studies, demonstrations, and public announcements, it can make it harder to see where the technology is actually gaining traction. Still, when advanced manufacturing methods provide a strategic advantage, the details often stay behind closed doors. Church explained that many of nScrypt’s customers operate in industries where even small manufacturing advantages matter. In some cases, simply revealing how a system is built, repaired, or integrated could expose capabilities that competitors are not supposed to see yet.
“Our best stories, we don’t get to talk about,” Church said.
A Different Kind of Visibility Problem
One question keeps coming up around additive manufacturing: if the technology is moving forward so quickly, why does so much of it still feel hidden? Why do some areas still seem stuck in early adoption?
At least in nScrypt’s case, part of the answer is that the work is definitely happening, but a lot of it is happening behind closed doors. In fact, much of the company’s work is in aerospace, defense, and other high-performance industries, where even small manufacturing advantages can matter.
Church explained that many customers prefer to keep their use of the technology quiet, especially when it may provide an advantage over competitors. In industries like aerospace and defense, even small manufacturing or integration gains can be strategically important, making companies cautious about how much they publicly share.
So the same factors that make additive electronics valuable, such as design flexibility, integration, and speed, also make it something companies would prefer not to advertise too early.
3DPrint.com’s Vanesa Listek at nScrypt headquarters. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Printing What You Can’t Replace
Some of those projects are much bigger than small electronics. One of nScrypt’s largest systems can print electronics directly onto existing structures, Church explained.
“The largest system we sell is 8 feet by 10 feet by 12 feet and weighs about 25,000 poun
This article is Part 3 of a three-part series based on 3DPrint.com’s visit to nScrypt’s Orlando headquarters and conversations with Ken Church.
There’s an interesting dynamic inside nScrypt’s Orlando headquarters. The company is clearly working on advanced electronics systems for aerospace, defense, and other high-performance industries, but some of the most interesting work happening there is also the hardest to discuss publicly. There is simply too much that can’t be said.
During 3DPrint.com’s visit to the facility, CEO Ken Church walked through the company’s technology, its history in additive electronics, and the challenge of talking publicly about work that often happens behind NDAs.
“We have some customers out there — some really big names,” Church said. “The more relevant electronic things that we’ve done, we don’t get to talk about.”
That level of secrecy is not uncommon in the industry. But in a field where so much attention is built around case studies, demonstrations, and public announcements, it can make it harder to see where the technology is actually gaining traction. Still, when advanced manufacturing methods provide a strategic advantage, the details often stay behind closed doors. Church explained that many of nScrypt’s customers operate in industries where even small manufacturing advantages matter. In some cases, simply revealing how a system is built, repaired, or integrated could expose capabilities that competitors are not supposed to see yet.
“Our best stories, we don’t get to talk about,” Church said.
A Different Kind of Visibility Problem
One question keeps coming up around additive manufacturing: if the technology is moving forward so quickly, why does so much of it still feel hidden? Why do some areas still seem stuck in early adoption?
At least in nScrypt’s case, part of the answer is that the work is definitely happening, but a lot of it is happening behind closed doors. In fact, much of the company’s work is in aerospace, defense, and other high-performance industries, where even small manufacturing advantages can matter.
Church explained that many customers prefer to keep their use of the technology quiet, especially when it may provide an advantage over competitors. In industries like aerospace and defense, even small manufacturing or integration gains can be strategically important, making companies cautious about how much they publicly share.
So the same factors that make additive electronics valuable, such as design flexibility, integration, and speed, also make it something companies would prefer not to advertise too early.
3DPrint.com’s Vanesa Listek at nScrypt headquarters. Image courtesy of 3DPrint.com.
Printing What You Can’t Replace
Some of those projects are much bigger than small electronics. One of nScrypt’s largest systems can print electronics directly onto existing structures, Church explained.
“The largest system we sell is 8 feet by 10 feet by 12 feet and weighs about 25,000 poun