--- title: "How Divergent expanded from land to air to sea with RTX partnership" url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/how-divergent-expanded-from-land-to-air-to-sea-with-rtx-partnership/ date: 2025-10-24 modified: 2025-10-24 lang: en author: "Davide Sher" description: "Divergent is not just a cool name. For the company Kevin Czinger founded, it has always been both a statement and a purpose. It was born as a digital production..." categories: - "Additive Manufacturing" - "Additive Mass Production - AMP" - "Automotive AM" - "Decision Makers" - "Defense" - "Executive Interviews" - "Maritime Industry" tags: - "Featured" image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Divergent-PRIME-ISV-website-tt.83-1-640x447.jpg word_count: 895 --- # How Divergent expanded from land to air to sea with RTX partnership [Divergent is not just a cool name](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/divergent3d/). For the company Kevin Czinger founded, it has always been both a statement and a purpose. It was born as a digital production system for hypercars, diverging dramatically from the way cars were made before, by introducing advanced metal AM capabilities. At the time – over a decade ago – the idea of using metal LPBF for a car’s safety-critical structure was unheard of. The Divergent approach began with the Czinger 21C. This record-breaking hypercar demonstrated the power of advanced additive manufacturing, leading to partnerships with Aston Martin, McLaren, Bugatti and several other major auto-makers. From there, Divergent expanded into defense, applying its Divergent Adaptive Production System (DAPS) to aerospace projects, [including drones and missile platforms for defense innovators like GA-ASI.](https://www.voxelmatters.com/ga-asi-partners-with-divergent-technologies-on-uas/) Now, the company is extending its reach even further, targeting maritime defense applications in a new collaboration with defense giant [RTX (Raytheon Technologies)](https://www.voxelmatters.directory/company/raytheon-technologies/). ![Learn about Divergent](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CZV-STR-PT-SIDE-VIEW-1-copia.jpg)The internal 3D printed structure of the Czinger 21C, made possible by DAPS and additive manufacturing. VoxelMatters had the opportunity to speak with Cooper Keller, Chief Programs and Operations Officer at Divergent, to understand exactly how far the maritime commercial and naval defense industry can “diverge” from current manufacturing processes. “Our strategy – Cooper told us – is to position DAPS as a foundational layer that empowers both large primes and smaller contractors. For very large primes, it enables rapid progression through engineering and production cycles. For smaller contractors, it provides the ability to manufacture at scale without traditional barriers.” This vision, Keller stressed, represents more than just technological disruption—it’s about rethinking defense manufacturing across land, air, and sea. ## Transforming manufacturing with DAPS At the core of Divergent’s growth is the DAPS platform, which Keller described as “adaptive, scalable, and instantly reconfigurable—like a server farm.” This digital-first manufacturing model eliminates the need for dedicated tooling and legacy supply chains, enabling defense companies to modernize, sustain, and rapidly scale mission-critical systems. Keller explained that DAPS accelerates research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E): “We can take a program from concept to delivered system in under three months. This has been demonstrated on dozens of platforms, even just in the last year.” “Once defense stakeholders visit our facility and see thousands of optimized parts in production—ranging from critical structural components to complex assemblies—they quickly recognize the maturity, scale, and relevance of our solution.” For defense leaders, this is not just about cost savings—it’s about speed, flexibility, and resilience in a rapidly shifting security environment. ![](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/20250912-DTI-Facility-Assembly-_vPress-copia.jpg)DAPS features the Divergent V-Cell, a universal assembler that automates the integration of component structures into complete vehicles. ## A deployable AM factory with no CapEx The DAPS factory is fundamentally designed to be deployable—it can be placed close to the point of need, even inside a customer’s facility. By keeping operational responsibility with Divergent, the company can ensure reliability, high utilization, and a closed-loop feedback system that continually improves DAPS. Customers retain full ownership of their data—the CAD, drawings, part specifications, and FEA. During the development phase, Divergent provides design and test data packages, and then physical parts in production. “For the customer, there are no upfront costs,” Cooper explains. “Divergent assumes responsibility for all CapEx, operations, and maintenance. Customers pay for utilization. Think of it as fabless chip design—but for complex, load-bearing structures.” ![Learn about Divergent](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Czinger_1719331313716.jpg)“A year ago, most primes used us for single-part qualifications—‘toe in the water’ projects,” he continues. “Today, nearly every major prime has half a dozen or more active programs with us, ranging from simple spares to full systems. This reflects both successful early demonstrations and a growing recognition of the need for DAPS at scale.” ## Closing the land–air–sea triangle with RTX [The partnership with Raytheon, part of RTX](https://www.voxelmatters.com/divergent-and-raytheon-collaborate-to-redesign-and-deliver-critical-naval-systems/), is perhaps Divergent’s most consequential defense collaboration yet. Keller noted how the relationship began when Travis Mayberry, then RTX’s Head of Additive Manufacturing, attended a presentation by Kevin Czinger at AMUG: “By then, we had already printed 12 of his parts—note that he only shared the CAD days prior—components that would have taken several weeks to print elsewhere or nearly a year using traditional manufacturing techniques such as vacuum brazing. Travis immediately noted we were “10 years ahead of any AM company” he’d seen. That initial contact grew into a deep collaboration. Today, Divergent and Raytheon are actively working on a range of programs, from spares and components to full-system architectures. This includes maritime defense programs that could fundamentally change how naval platforms are modernized. In the first half of this year alone, Divergent introduced over 200 unique part numbers into its factory. These ranged from small, simple parts such as gearboxes and hubcaps to 20-foot-long UAV fuselage structures and integrated cruise missile airframes. Keller further emphasized the potential: “Any complex, load-bearing structure is a candidate—from 10-foot-long missile bodies to single-piece struts. We are especially excited about a naval program that we expect to field within 12 months, which could fundamentally change how legacy systems are modernized.” Raytheon, for its part, brings decades of experience in munitions, paired with Divergent’s culture of speed, adaptability, and digital-first design. According to Keller: “Pairing Raytheon’s depth with our pace creates a capability unmatched anywhere else in the world.” With this partnership, Divergent is effectively closing the land–air–sea triangle, demonstrating how digital production can bridge defense domains—and by extension any industrial domain—in ways that traditional factories cannot.