ExOne Developing Portable 3D Printing Factory in Shipping Container for Department of Defense
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Now under development, the rugged 3D printing factory pod would be set up in a standard shipping container, up to 40 feet long, to be deployed directly in the field, via land, sea or air, to manufacture parts to support war theaters, disaster relief, or other remote operations. ExOne’s 3D printers can produce parts in more than 20 metal, ceramic or composite materials.
Awarded by the
“Binder jet 3D printing is a critical manufacturing technology for military use because of its speed, flexibility of materials, and ease of use,” said
As part of the project,
The Benefits of a Military 3D Printing Pod
By enabling a military team on-site to 3D print parts as needed, the downtime in a crisis can be reduced from weeks or months to only a few days or less, while also reducing military costs.
Ideally, military personnel would 3D print a digital file of a broken or damaged part and have a finished product in less than 48 hours without conventional tooling in the self-contained pod. This approach would save critical time (machined tooling to create parts typically takes 4-6 weeks), while also reducing waste and the need to carry expensive inventory in crisis zones.
A digital library of parts for 3D printing can be stored electronically, as opposed to racks of spare parts in a storage depot. When a digital file is not available for older parts, the item can easily be 3D scanned and printed in the field. What’s more, parts to solve unique problems in the field could also be designed digitally and 3D printed as needed.
ExOne’s binder jet 3D printing transforms powdered materials — metal, sand or ceramic — into highly dense and functional precision parts at high speeds. An industrial printhead selectively deposits a binder into a bed of powder particles creating a solid part one thin layer at a time, similar to printing on sheets of paper. The technology is viewed as a desirable and sustainable production method, largely because of its high speed, low waste and cost, as well as material flexibility.
3D
To speed development of the rugged 3D printing pod,
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Dynovas, Inc. , based inDover, DE , which specializes in materials engineering, composites manufacturing, andDoD weapons systems. -
Applied Composites –
San Diego , a leading provider of complex composite components, assemblies, engineering, and tooling to the aerospace, defense, and space systems markets. AC-SD’s Reinforced Additively Manufactured Compression Assisted Molding (RAMCAM) system is an enabler to the current pod project.
About
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210216005357/en/
Chief Marketing Officer
724-516-2336
sarah.webster@exone.com
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