United States Navy boosts $2.6 million investment in Metal AM

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The U.S. Navy is looking at employing 3D printing to manufacture metal parts for critical Naval applications, further bolstering fleet readiness. According to CTC-Concurrent Technologies Corporation, the Office of Naval Research has awarded the company a $2.6 million two-year contract to supply technology solutions that will ensure the manufacturability of quality metallic parts from 3D Printing machines. According to the U.S. Navy, Additive Manufacturing is necessary to cut back on the time and costs associated with deploying qualified, certified AM metallic components for Naval air, sea, and ground platforms. The contract is part of the Navy’s Quality Made program announced in July 2015, aiming to build parts onboard ships at sea for aircraft to avoid the challenge of storing components and large parts on ships and aircraft. The Navy also is interested in

  1. shortening the acquisition timeline,
  2. broadening the industrial supply base,
  3. having the ability to produce parts on demand at Fleet Readiness Centers (FRCs).

“In a February 2017 statement, the vice chiefs of America’s armed forces said their personnel and aging equipment are stretched thin amid years of war, statutory budget caps and temporary workarounds, end-strength cuts, and Congress passing continuing resolutions. In response to this need, Concurrent Technologies Corporation and its integrated project team members are providing new technology that can address the short- and long-term challenge of replacing aging or broken parts literally on site,”

Edward Sheehan, Jr. President and CEO of Concurrent Technologies Corp.

Credence Research said that the naval vessels maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.8% from 2018 to 2026.

Ken Sabo, Senior Director, Additive Manufacturing and Materials, Concurrent Technologies Corporation, affirms the project team will develop and demonstrate a suite of 3D software and hardware technologies required to support the rapid qualification of critical metallic components at a reduced cost.

“Microstructure-property evolution and its in-process control are not well established for additive manufacturing of metallic parts compared to traditional metal processing,”, and continues,  “Our goal is to address these gaps and ensure that parts produced throughout the U.S. Navy consistently perform as intended.”, said Sabo.

 

“The team will produce metal parts using laser powder-bed fusion to develop and validate a proposed framework,”, “Team members will include Concurrent Technologies Corporation, SLM Solutions N.A., MSC Software, MRL Materials Resources LLC, the University of Pittsburgh, and America Makes.”

-Ken Sabo-

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Sources & More information
Sources mentioned in the additve manufacturing news
Source:
Article: Thomas 4th April- Posted in 3D Printing Application http://www.3ders.org/articles/20180404-us-navy-boosts-investment-in-metal-3d-printing-for-battleships.html, visited on 10th April 2018.

Logo credit:
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marinha_dos_Estados_Unidos, visited on 10th April 2018.

Image credits:
http://www.3ders.org/articles/20180404-us-navy-boosts-investment-in-metal-3d-printing-for-battleships.html, visited on 10th April 2018.

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