United States Navy May Soon Adopt 3D Printing

The US Navy is looking into adding 3D printers to several of their ships. The army has been utilizing 3D printing for a few years already, as a way to manufacture parts on short notice, both in and out of combat zones.
http://3dprint.com/2161/united-state...rinters-ships/

The Navy is still trying to figure out how to compensate for the movement that ships have, and the possible effects it will have on the printing process. They are looking into several uses for the printers, including medical uses. In the future they may be able to print out UAV's on short notice, which would be capable of jamming enemy's radar units. Interesting stuff for sure!

I'm really surprised this isn't being done yet. The Military is usually 10 years a head of the curve in technology.

I don't know how feasible it will be do print when a boat is swaying in waves though. That should be a challenge that needs to be overcome.

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Originally Posted by KrypTONight

I'm really surprised this isn't being done yet. The Military is usually 10 years a head of the curve in technology.

I don't know how feasible it will be do print when a boat is swaying in waves though. That should be a challenge that needs to be overcome.

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Why would that make any difference at all? You can FDM in zero G or upside down with some printer designs. The plastic doesn't drop down, it is extruded directly to the build surface.

Southern California additive manufacturing technology developer Inovati is looking to offer their Kinetic Metallization process as an alternative for the spot-repair of military aircraft parts. Kinetic Metallization process accelerates metal micron-scale particles up to speeds to Mach 1 and deposits them on the surface of the damaged part making instant repairs. Inovati recently successfully repaired a pair of Super Hornet F-18 AMAD gearbox housings using the KM technology. By repairing the parts rather than replacing them, the Navy saved over $150,000 and 15 month lead time. You can read more about Kinetic Metallization over on 3DPrint.com: http://3dprint.com/102514/inovati-navy-km-process/
http://3dprint.com/wp-content/upload...inovati_ke.jpg