The US Army is planning to expand 3D printing for the production of spare parts. The goal is to additively manufacture more components for the HMMWV-type armored vehicles. So far, volume production has been limited to a battery mount.
According to the Army, 3D printing is expected to replace conventional manufacturing of spare parts in perspective. The advantages are simpler logistics and reduced downtime. 3D printing has already made a convincing case for the battery mount for the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV).
The brackets are printed using fused filament fabrication and then post-processed to increase stability. In tests with various materials and printers, the components met military requirements.
According to Eric Wetzel, team leader for the project at the US Army Research Lab, there are plans to additively produce other spare parts for the HMMWV in the future. They are currently looking for other use cases and production partners from industry. In the long term, 3D printing is expected to replace conventional manufacturing.
In addition to the HMMWV, the U.S. Navy is also using 3D printing to speed up repairs. For the U.S. armed forces, it’s a step toward greater independence through decentralized manufacturing technologies.
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