3D Printing on the Battlefield

3D Printing on the Battlefield

Additive manufacturing, otherwise more commonly known as 3D printing, has already had a profound affect on private industry. In what started in the late 1980s and early 1990s, 3D printers have undergone a massive revolution in recent years. Rather than waiting for a small part to be delivered from another company that takes weeks, if not months, to make, companies have been able to simply print needed parts - greatly increasing efficiency and cutting replacement costs.

Somewhat similar to an inkjet printer, 3D printers print objects both horizontally and vertically in layers to create objects that are either impractical or impossible to make using traditional methods. Unlike traditional printers, however, 3D printers don't use ink. Rather, they use a variety of materials - ranging from thick waxes to plastic polymers - which eventually harden to form a sturdy object. As each layer is added, the printer's nozzle can alternate which material is used depending on what is needed. For example, if a hardened plastic layer is need for the base but a polymer is needed for the main body, the printer can switch from liquid plastic to polymer once it finishes creating the base layer. Today, advanced 3D printers exist which include multiple nozzles, known as multi-jet modeling, all working in conjunction with another to quickly render a 3D object.

In August 2010, a Navy fighter pilot at Bagram, Afghanistan was sitting in his aircraft on the tarmac, waiting to take off, when a valve on the plane broke. Unable to take off, the pilot had to wait weeks for a replacement part to be shipped from the Indian Ocean. Had the airbase had the capability, the base would have been able to quickly print out the part and replace the broken valve on the jet. Doing so would have allowed the pilot to take off the next day - if not the same day - depending on when the incident occurred.

Back-pack sized printer for soldiers on the battlefield

While society has adopted 3D printing at a rapid pace, the pace of the military has been much more reserved. However, in time, the adoption rate of the military will greatly increase; although hopefully sooner rather than later. With sequestration and budget concerns on the minds of every military strategist, 3D printing could be a godsend - a way to dramatically cut resupply costs. However, the adoption rate of the military already seems to be increasing as the U.S. military is currently working on $695 back-pack sized 3D printers for soldiers on the battlefield to print spare parts. "The ability to replicate parts quickly and cheaply is a huge benefit to the warfighter," D. Shannon Berry, a U.S. military operations research analyst, said in a statement in November 2012.  While the U.S. already maintains a 3D printing lab in Southern Afghanistan, the printer itself exists inside a shipping container and is not mobile.

Rather than request small complex parts from companies that have ceased production of such parts, soldiers in theater would simply be able to print any needed spare parts. While larger parts would not be able to be printed - mainly due to size limitations and needed materials - larger parts are easier and less costly for companies to reproduce. It is the small, complex parts that cost considerably more money to create.

As the adoption rate of 3D printers increases, their capabilities will also increase which will eventually drive down the cost of such printers. The money that would be saved would greatly benefit other projects the U.S. military has in place - i.e. the troubled F-35 program - as it would not need to request additional funds from Congress. Rather, the funds that were once used for resupply efforts could be shifted to other essential programs.