Additive Manufacturing allows engineers to create complex geometries out of polymers, metals, and composites that are not possible through traditional manufacturing techniques.
Logisticians are seriously looking at Additive Manufacturing, which promises to allow the military to print parts in-theatre, significantly reducing the burden on the supply chain.
Rear Admiral Vincent Griffith, Director of DLA Logistics Operations at the Defense Logistics Agency is excited about the possibilities additive manufacturing offers: “One area that strikes a chord with DLA is 3D printing, because of the potential additive manufacturing has for helping us obtain obsolete and hard-to-source parts for the more than 2,400 weapon systems we support. Additive manufacturing is a fairly new concept, but we’re thinking big. We want to expand our additive manufacturing parts catalog for integration into the supply system; produce approved critical safety item parts; establish and maintain a parts-on-demand capability; and have a library of Technical Data Packages with 3D models to enable faster production.”
