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A Marine Corps corporal at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, places a 3-D printed part inside a sinter to bake and fuse.
A Marine Corps corporal at Camp Kinser, Okinawa, places a 3-D printed part inside a sinter to bake and fuse the metal together. The Metal X 3-D printer is the world’s first Atomic Diffusion Additive Manufacturing machine. This and other AM methods, such as directed-energy deposition, can help the Marine Corps keep equipment operable without the space on board ships to store as many parts as in the past.
U.S. Marine Corps (Jamin M. Powell)

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The MEU Needs Additive Manufacturing

By Captain Thomas D. Milroy, U.S. Marine Corps
March 2020
Proceedings
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) made 3D printing history in 2014 when it successfully employed additively manufacturing (AM) hardware in space. Since then, NASA has upgraded the printers on board the International Space Station to increase their onsite manufacturing capabilities and decrease downtime of critical devices. In civilian industries, downtime caused by machine malfunctions, production line changes, or supply disruptions can be financially costly. For the Department of Defense (DoD) there can be another cost: human lives.

In a deployed Marine expeditionary unit (MEU) acting as a geographic combatant commander’s strategic reserve, downtime is unaffordable. The MEU’s capabilities and readiness to respond to situations across the range of military operations must be maintained. AM can give the MEU a competitive advantage by becoming the centerpiece for maintenance and the stockage of most nonmedical supply parts.

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1. Tyler Rogoway, “The Next America-Class Amphibious Assault Ship Will Almost Be In a Class of Its Own,” The Drive, 17 April 2018, www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/20201/the-next-america-class-amphibious-assault-ship-will-almost-be-in-a-class-of-its-own.

2. LGen Steven Rudder, USMC, “2018 Marine Aviation Plan,” www.aviation.marines.mil/Portals/11/2018%20AvPlan%20FINAL.pdf.

3. ANSYS, “ANSYS Topology Optimization Upgrades Designs to Take Full Advantage of 3D Printing–Application Brief,” www.ansys.com/resource-library/application-brief/ansys-topology-optimization-upgrades-designs-to-take-full-advantage-of-3-d-printing.

4. Lockheed Martin, “Advanced Manufacturing,” www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/capabilities/advanced-manufacturing.html.

5. A. Nikhil, “3D Printing Processes—Directed Energy Deposition (Part 6/8),” Engineers Garage, 10 January 2017, www.engineersgarage.com/articles/3d-printing-processes-directed-energy-deposition.

6. Kevin Mozurkewich and E. G. Meyer, “New Research Advancing Additive Manufacturing Viability,” Additive Manufacturing Magazine, 9 December 2015, www.additivemanufacturing.media/articles/new-research-advancing-additive-manufacturing-viability.

7. Rick Weber, “Technology—3D CAD, 3D Scanning, 3D Printing—Is Reducing Costs, Saving Time, Eliminating Waste, and Speeding Up Production,” Trailer / Body Builders, 5 May 2017, https://0-search-proquest-com.libus.csd.mu.edu/abicomplete/docview/1895942895/4E628332C5974171PQ/5?accountid=100.

8. Jessica Van Zeijderveld, “Valuable for the Automotive Industry: 3D Printed Car Parts,” Sculpeto, 16 May 2018, www.sculpteo.com/blog/2018/05/16/valuable-for-the-automotive-industry-3d-printed-car-parts/.

Captain Thomas D. Milroy, U.S. Marine Corps

Captain Milroy is a company commander with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He is a graduate of the Expeditionary Warfare School and earned a master’s degree from Marquette University’s supply chain program.

More Stories From This Author View Biography

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