In 2022, Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) personnel, Carderock Division in the Platform Integrity Division, and NSWC Crane Division worked together to deliver expeditionary fabrication (XFAB) systems to various U.S. Marine Corps bases around the world. Now, Carderock is again partnering with the USMC, this time to provide an Additive Manufacturing Kit for Tactical Fabrication (TACFAB).
TACFAB is even more portable and flexible than XFAB. It consists of three portable hardshell cases that contain various items, such as 3D printers and associated materials, laptops and miscellaneous supplies. The system can be transported on the rear of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles or Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.
“TACFAB is essentially three hard transit cases that can fit on the back of a High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle or Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, rather than having to be towed by a larger heavy-duty Logistic Vehicle System Replacement,” Cheung said. “It is designed to be deployed as far forward in the field as possible. The original prototype for this was fielded in 2016. We had a limited user experience prototype fielded to a few different Marine Corps bases. We received feedback back from them, which then led to us getting funding for this to be a Program of Record in 2021.”
Final testing is underway, and a decision on deployment is expected by the end of May. The procurement target is 168 units over the next three to five years, with 34 units in service by the end of FY23.
Once delivered, the Carderock team will train Advanced Manufacturing Training Center (AMTC) instructors* on how to use TACFAB. These AMTCs are located at various sites, including Camp Pendleton, California, and Okinawa, Japan. Additional Marines are then trained there.
Find out more about NAVSEA at navsea.navy.mil.
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