US Army Tests Additive Manufacturing for Printing Vehicle Repair Parts in the Field

Metal additive manufacturing provider Spee3D has demonstrated the speed and agility of additive manufacturing (AM) for creating military vehicle repair parts in the field, enabling equipment to be quickly restored to operational capability.

Spee3D successfully participated in the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) advanced manufacturing demonstration at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, which was held Aug. 5-16, 2024. The goal of the exercise was to train a soldier with no previous AM training or experience to print a crucial part that could be used to build or repair equipment in the field or at a deployed location.

The soldier, who had no experience using Spee3D’s proprietary cold spray additive manufacturing (CSAM) technology, printed a Bradley Fighting Vehicle’s transmission mount. The part was installed in a Bradley and the vehicle was taken out on multiple test cycles through the 278th field test area. Upon return, the part was examined and showed no degradation. The exercise showed that the CSAM technology can successfully create a repair part and restore the vehicle to operational capability so it can return to the fight. VRC Metal Systems was also involved in the AM demonstration.

“Spee3D intends to make additive manufacturing accessible as a quick, cost-effective and easy way to print crucial metal parts that otherwise would not be available at the point of need. Having a soldier with no previous additive manufacturing experience learn our technology within a week certainly meets that goal.” says Byron Kennedy, Spee3D CEO. “We are proud to have collaborated with Army Research Labs, the University of Knoxville, the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment and all of our other partners to participate in this successful demonstration.”

The demonstration successfully illustrated how cold spray technology can be utilized to positively impact the warfighter in expeditionary scenarios. “Expeditionary cold systems provide added repair and manufacturing capabilities which can address supply chain challenges as would be expected in a contested logistics environment,” says Michael Nicholas, Materials Engineer at DEVCOM ARL. “Overall, this advanced manufacturing demonstration was extremely successful due to our amazing partnerships with industry, academia and future technology users.”

The exercise was organized by DEVCOM ARL as the government lead, with the University of Tennessee Knoxville serving as the demo host, the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment (ACR) as site host with soldiers, technical expert Spee3D and VRC Metal Systems. The final demonstration of the printed part was held on August 15 at the ACR Armory in Livingston, Tennessee, with VIPs in attendance.

DEVCOM ARL’s mission is to operationalize science. ARL identifies and executes disruptive research leading to scientific discovery and emerging technologies for the Army’s continuous transformation. A hallmark of ARL’s mission is fostering collaborative partnerships to broaden the Army’s access to expert talent and accelerate transitions of science-enabled capabilities.