Metal and Composite AM Grant US Army Significant Savings

Ensuring defense part availability is vital to maintaining readiness, a term which the U.S. Army uses to refer to the need for troops, formations and equipment to perform under the pressures of military operations. One major training base for the U.S. Army required a hatch plug for use on top of a vehicle when it was in low-light conditions. Unfortunately, this part is not in regular production, and traditional methods now cost $10,000 a part, with a three-month lead time to boot. To solve this problem and support readiness, the base began looking for a 3D printer in late 2019.

Savings in Composites and Metal

The base chose two Markforged X3 industrial 3D printers and one Markforged Mark Two desktop 3D printer. These printers’ Continuous Fiber Reinforcement (CFR) process enabled the base to print with continuous carbon fiber, fiberglass and Kevlar.

Using these printers, the base could print the hatch plug in Markforged Onyx for $230. The base soon acquired a Markforged Metal X printer as well, using it to print the plug in 17-4PH Stainless Steel for $800. Together, the savings from these 3D-printed parts have saved the regiment $244,000. The part also now has a simpler design, with four parts instead of 10.

The regiment also used the composite printers to 3D print tools, low-volume production parts, window wiper brackets for military vehicles and, once the COVID-19 pandemic began, personal protective equipment (PPE).

Future-Proofing

Eiger, Markforged’s slicing software, has provided significant benefits for the Army’s applications, with increased compatibility for geometrically complex parts and a hands-off approach that optimizes designs for Markforged printers. Markforged University, Markforged’s certification program, has also played a vital role by preparing U.S. Army soldiers to properly use the 3D printing platform with both composites and metals.

The U.S. Army base intends to continue printing tooling, fixtures and small batches of production parts with traditionally long lead times. It hopes to bring on more additive manufacturing capability, giving it increased flexibility to train soldiers for tomorrow’s challenges.