U.S. Department of Defense releases strategic plan for additive manufacturing

China3D printingNet February 5th, the US Department of Defense (DoD) released the first comprehensive additive manufacturing strategy in history, aimed at establishing the use of3D printingConsensus.
The Office of the Secretary of Defense Manufacturing Technology (OSD ManTech) Planning Office drafted the strategy in collaboration with the U.S. military and other defense agencies, outlining five strategic goals to expand its defense sector’s3D printingAdoption.
“Additive manufacturing provides the Department of Defense with unprecedented supply chain agility while enabling our developers to maintain the technological superiority of our fighters,” said the Director of Technology and Manufacturing Industrial Base (TMIB), Strategic Technology Protection and Development Office (STP&E) Robert Gold said.
“This strategy ensures that the Department of Defense can maximize the benefits of additive manufacturing technology by arranging our additive manufacturing activities, adjusting funding opportunities and improving the implementation of additive manufacturing, all of which are aimed at enhancing the mission readiness of our fighters. .”




The M1 Abrams tank under TACOM. Photo by the US Army.

3D printingHow to support the U.S. defense sector

The strategy was released in January and outlines the key ways in which additive manufacturing supports the U.S. economy and defense activities. The first of these involves the use of3D printingDesigned equipment to modernize its defense system and subsequently improve its performance.
Additive manufacturing also helps to improve the level of material preparation for rapid prototyping and the production of end-use parts, thereby reducing the risk of obsolete hardware. also,3D printingFeatures help soldiers be more innovative on the battlefield.

“The Air Force is eager to work with OSD and our other service departments to develop a much-needed Additive Manufacturing strategy for the Department of Defense to address our collective needs,” Angela Timo, Assistant Deputy Secretary, Logistics and Product Support, Office of the Air Force Assistant Secretary Said Angela Tymofichuk. Used for procurement, technology and logistics. This strategy is critical because it provides a roadmap for the full adoption and integration of additive manufacturing in our acquisition and maintenance communities.
We believe that the environment is an effective tool that can alleviate the problems of manufacturers with supply chain shortages and long-term supply chain shortages. At the same time, letting aircrews create innovative solutions for countless types of maintenance needs will also bring us challenges. “

The U.S. military has been trying3D printingAnd integrate it into the operation. Last year, Gus Perna, Director of the U.S. Army’s Materials Division pointed out that it’s time to develop an arsenal in the military.
The new strategy hopes to build on the success of previous and current additive manufacturing projects initiated by the US military, including3D printingThe missile parts are tested, the parts are redesigned for its “Black Hawk” helicopter, and the earplugs are customized for personnel.
Just this week, the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) announced a research collaboration with Xerox, a global printing and digital document company, to explore3D printingHow to change the way the military provides its troops for deployment.

U.S. Army Black Hawk. The picture is from Lockheed Martin.

Integrate AM into the Ministry of National Defense and National Defense Industry Base

The primary goal of the Department of Defense’s additive manufacturing strategy is to realize the benefits and impact of the technology in the defense industry supply chain, from engineering design, procurement to maintenance and maintenance.To this end, the Ministry of National Defense will formulate internal policies and guidelines to use it in defense industrial bases “to the fullest extent.”3D printing.This will involve determining the key readiness drivers of the entire weapon system and addressing issues related to intellectual property (IP) and network protection.Related agencies and services of the Ministry of Defense have begun to be developed and implemented in their respective organizations3D printingThe initial framework focuses on qualification and certification guidelines, exchange of ideas, expeditionary force guidelines, and defining logistics, cost modeling, and supply chain integration policies.Digital tools will also be used to evaluate the success of additive manufacturing in terms of readiness, cost and performance, and new business models will also be developed and shared for use in DoD weapons systems3D printingpart.

The United States has previously tested hypersonic missile technology, but has not yet produced a fully functional weapon. The picture comes from the U.S. Department of Defense.

(Editor in charge: admin)