3D printing impacting the defense industry

Additive manufacturing (AM) or 3D printing (3DP) is being embraced in numerous industries with the defense sector being one of the latest to begin broader adoption. The U.S. Department of Defense’s (DOD) Additive Manufacturing Strategy from 2021 states 3DP can modernize national defense systems and offer supply chain agility. The DOD also believes AM increases material readiness to rapidly prototype, produce direct parts, and reduce the risk of obsolete hardware while enabling warfighters to employ innovative solutions on the battlefield through AM capabilities.

A recent white paper released by 3D printer manufacturer UltiMaker and written by blog website Wevolver broke down how militaries and defense organizations around the globe are increasing their adoption of 3DP.

A main application in defense where 3DP can make a huge impact is on-site spare part production. 3DPtechnologies can be deployed in remote locations and on the front lines to produce replacement parts on demand. Now warfighters don’t need to haul large inventories of spare parts and can instead carry a 3D printer and materials to print the spares when needed. Military bases also will have a huge need for larger 3D printers to produce spare parts for vehicles and aircraft. Wevolver believes base engineers can reverse engineer legacy parts on site and print due to “advances in production-grade 3DP materials, such as glass and carbon fiber reinforced polymers and metal filaments.”

UltiMaker has also used 3DP to “streamline workflows and facilitate equipment maintenance, such as the rapid production of custom tools and assembly aids.”

Wevolver also says 3DP can “rapidly produce components that enhance equipment capabilities such as printing custom brackets for mounting GPS or radio communication systems in vehicles like motorcycles or quads.”

I also have firsthand experience when it comes to 3DP in naval operations after speaking with 3D Systems and ADDMAN Group for a special edition of our Manufacturing Matters podcast on the MFG Radio Network. The two companies are currently printing copper-nickel parts for shipbuilding operations. After the conversation with 3D Systems and ADDMAN and reading UltiMaker’s whitepaper, it’s very apparent 3DP is only starting to impact the defense industry but can definitely help clear the backlog and help troops on the frontlines almost instantaneously!