The British company Babcock is working together with Qinetiq on a project to give the Ukrainian armed forces access to digital manufacturing technologies. The aim is to be able to produce spare parts directly on site – using 3D printing, among other things. This should significantly speed up the maintenance of military equipment during operations.
The core of the project is to create digital models of components, especially those that are no longer in production. The engineers analyze these using reverse engineering and prepare them as CAD data. These digital data sets make it possible to manufacture spare parts as required – either using conventional processes or directly using additive manufacturing.
Tom Newman from Babcock describes the approach as a pragmatic solution to relieve supply chains and increase usability. The technicians are to additively manufacture the components directly on site as required. This reduces dependency on supply chains and enables more flexible repairs.
Qinetiq, a company specializing in technical analysis, is also contributing its expertise in material analysis and quality assurance. According to Alan Hart, Managing Director of Science and Weapons Technology at Qinetiq, the particular advantage of the project lies in the ability to react quickly to logistical bottlenecks in the field.
The initiative is part of a wider support from Babcock. The company is already involved in the repair and maintenance of military vehicles such as the Challenger 2 tank and trains Ukrainian soldiers in their repair. The integration of 3D printing technology is a useful addition to the existing logistics infrastructure.
With this project, the UK is responding to the growing importance of decentralized manufacturing in crisis and war zones. Additive manufacturing could therefore play a central role in military supply security in the future.
Metal Binder Jetting: The Key to Efficient Tool Manufacturing? - Exclusive Insights from INDO-MIM
Fill out the form and get instant access to an exclusive webinar on HP's Metal Binder Jetting 3D printing technology with exciting insights from INDO-MIM.Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPresso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
