We’ve seen many ways that3D printingcan be used in industry, and now it seems the military is jumping on board—the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it’s looking into 3D-printed or mass timber Army and Navybarracks.
Innovative Construction for Armed Forces
On March 11, military reps met with several related committees and lawmakers to discuss the potential use of more advanced construction technologies and techniques in the armed forces.
These include 3D-printed buildings, high-performance cement and concrete (HPC),mass timber, composites, geosynthetics, tension fabric, and carbon fiber reinforced polymers.
Benefits
The Director of Military Programs for the Army Corps of Engineers, Dave Morrow, said that the goal of using these advanced materials and methods is to make “durable, sustainable and cost-effective” structures that would make the best use of tax-payer money.
For instance, 3D printing as a construction technique has the potential to not only minimize costs, but reduce manpower, time, and logistics, too. Morrow added that the tech can also be used in “garrison or in expeditionary environments”
Advanced Tech Already in Use
The Army has already explored additive manufacturing, with 3D-printed constructions at Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida, and Fort Bliss in Texas, where 3D-printed barracks can be found.
The Chief Engineer for Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command, Keith Hamilton, said that the Navy is using masstimberto make a child development center in Hampton Roads, Virginia. In addition, HPC was used to build a new F-35 Lighting II hanger at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina.
Upcoming Projects
Morrow explained that, after the design and construction of the Army’s first mass timber barracks, they’ve now got their sights set on building something similar at Mountain Home Air Force Base using the same technology.
Hamilton added that HPC has been successfully used for infrastructure like piers and runways, and the goal is to broaden its application to provide better capabilities and facilities to troops.
Image Credit: Shutterstock/Toshifumi Hotchi
