3D printing has many advantages, but none more critical than the ability to facilitate on-the-fly maintenance and repair for various applications.
And a new $1.6 million contract awarded to 3D printing technology company, ExOne, is about to bring metal printing to, perhaps, one of the most important applications of all: U.S. troops on the front lines.
The U.S. Department of Defense has granted ExOne one of its largest-ever government contracts, this time to develop a portable 3D printing factory for troops to use in the field.
The mobile lab will be housed in a shipping container, but that’s not the only unique modification being made here. ExOne’s CEO John Hartner told TechCrunch that the unit will feature ruggedized equipment, and it will also offer a software layer that will reduce the complexity of training for its users.
The group anticipates the users will be engaged in humanitarian or emergency missions – or potentially even combat – and will be able to quickly fabricate missing or broken parts for their equipment when needed.
Hartner stressed the importance of simplifying the supply chain for these types of users, suggesting they may be using a cloud database of 3D items or even scanning the item and addressing repairs digitally before printing a new one. Either way, he says, it’s “decentralized and forward-deployed,” disrupting the traditional methods in place.
ExOne will use the money for R&D and building costs since this is the first unit of its kind it will develop. It will utilize binder jet printing, which layers composite powder to create a metal end product and the company hopes to deliver the fully stocked container by Q3 of next year.
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