Maintaining equipment and being battlefield ready are significant components in helping the U.S. Navy protect the United States and our allies. Being able to safely, and securely provide the proper support can be expensive and logistically difficult, especially with troops in the field and with aging equipment.
To alleviate some of these problems, the U.S. Naval Air System’s Command (US NAVAIR) has turned to 3D printing to help build parts and tools that allow U.S. Marines to maintain their effectiveness in the battlefield.
In using 3D printers for forward operations, US NAVAIR can provide real-time maintenance capabilities for equipment and vehicles in minimal time. Through 3D printing, engaged forces can continue operations without interruptions that would otherwise be caused by lack of proper parts or maintenance tools.
“The system enables Marines to manufacture parts in support of naval aviation and related support equipment on-demand, at the point of need, in forward deployed locations where traditional logistics may be contested,” said Ted Gronda, NAVAIR AM Program Manager.
For instance, additive manufacturing allows forward positions and airbases to maintain F/A – 18 Super Hornet warplanes and P3 Orion surveillance planes. Both planes require specialized parts that are not easily manufactured or readily available. Also, US NAVAIR has some planes still in use that are approaching 100 years in operation. For many of these older planes, the manufacturer is no longer in business, making it that much harder to find precision parts that will keep these planes flying.
While being able to manufacture parts that are no longer made on the open market is a key component of the US NAVAIR program, being able to provide those parts safely and securely is also important. Having 3D printers onsite at bases around the world, allows each site to produce parts on demand that meet the exact specifications of the original part. For example, the U.S. Marines have more than 120 different parts that are approved and hosted on the Department of Defense website available for on-demand printing. These parts can be printed anywhere a Tier 1 Additive Manufacturing printer is available. This keeps component information secure, tightens supply chain security and reduces the possibility of being low on supplies. And, with the parts pre-approved, there is no downtime in requesting permission to create parts.
“Being able to download and print parts immediately, is a steppingstone to improve our parts procurement process,” said Captain Jose Duron, Marine Aviation Logistics Squad-41. “Especially, when we have situations where parts are not available. “When we have older aircraft many times manufacturers have stopped making parts for those aircraft because they have gone on to making parts for newer platforms, so they are no longer available. These production systems give us an opportunity to recreate those parts and stay mission ready on those aircraft.
Having specialized software and onsite equipment that is loaded with pre-approved parts also cuts down on staff training time. Computer stations with specialized software creates opportunities for multiple operators to learn the systems and be ready to do part or tool builds almost immediately.
“Our experience with the armed forces and understanding their need to manufacture products on demand has been invaluable to keeping our military battle ready,” said Mark Menninger, Director of the Government Vertical Market Segment, Stratasys. “3D printing allows troops to do real-time manufacturing, even while on the battlefield and under fire. And, if they have a unique need, 3D printing allows them to even reverse manufacture a part or tool much faster than ever possible.”
“Being able to print our own parts instead of investing man hours to repair or manage limited funding to replace a part is a game-changer,” added Fleet Readiness Center Northwest (FRCNW) Commander Mike Windom. “We emphasize the importance of continuous process improvement, which is why we are enthusiastic to be able to eliminate the long lead times for components that are difficult to procure. This will create a significant reduction in turn-around time. Additional benefits include reducing physical spares inventories and recovering associated workspace.”
Foster Ferguson is the Vice President of Industrial Business at Stratasys. Stratasys is an additive manufacturer with innovative 3D printing solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer products and healthcare.