The military has had a variety of functions since ancient times. Obviously for warfare, both in attack and defense, but also as emergency aid in the event of natural disasters and especially as a driver of innovation - for example for the forerunner of the internet, the ARPANET, without which you would not be able to read this blog post on your computer, laptop or smartphone today.
In Germany, however, the military has a comparatively difficult position. For a long time, it was neglected by politicians and although it is generally held in high regard by large sections of the population, its traditional work, i.e. military operations, is often viewed very critically - even when deployed as a peacekeeping force.
From a historical perspective, this critical attitude is more than understandable. Grandparents and parents were able to tell their grandchildren and children first-hand about the destructive effects of a world war, which meant that all even potential adoration of military structures was viewed negatively by society as a whole.
However, this critical attitude has reached its limits in recent years. Changing global circumstances, a complication of bilateral relations and the boiling up of several military conflicts have sent a nerve-wracking current through society, which has resulted in one big question: can we maintain this critical attitude and safeguard peace at the same time?
It is neither possible nor my ambition to answer this question universally. But it was precisely this question that led to what Olaf Scholz called a "turning point" in the political relationship with the military throughout Europe. Military capability in Europe could no longer just take place on paper, it had to undergo a tangible reconstruction.
Of course, such a rebuilding cannot be accomplished within a few months or even years. The ramp-up of production capacities that have been dormant for decades, the construction and expansion of military factories and the rearmament of military personnel require not only money and political will, but also a lot of time - and this is exactly where additive manufacturing comes into play!
In this blog post, you will learn how 3D printing supports the military, drives technological progress, accelerates the military equipment of soldiers and defuses crisis situations. I'll start with the many applications of 3D printing in the military and then move on to the benefits of using additive manufacturing.
From the ground to the sea to the air
The military system of most countries in the world is divided into three parts - the army, the air force and the navy. In most situations, the army remains the backbone of any military operation, but since World War II at the latest, air and naval support have also become indispensable for optimal defense. Without air superiority, ground forces become an easy target for enemy close air support, and without naval dominance, coastal landings cannot be stopped, which can lead to catastrophic consequences, from logistical difficulties to the encirclement of ground forces.
3D printing offers a variety of applications for all of these pillars of defense. For this blog post, I'm focusing primarily on deployable military components, as 3D printed prototypes in the military are now so versatile that they are beyond the scope of this blog post. First, let's look at the possibilities of additive manufacturing for the heart of any military - the army.
Equipment for the front
The first attempts at additive manufacturing within the military took place in the early 2010s. Infantry equipment in particular, such as helmets and rifle butts, of which large quantities are required in a short space of time under certain circumstances, were produced additively in these initial trials.
These trials are now much more mature and go far beyond helmets and rifle butts. Silencers, lenses for collimator sights and binoculars, tripods for machine guns, protective vest parts, grenade bodies and much more can and is now produced using 3D printing.
Additive manufacturing is now also being used for components for military land vehicles. For example, the US Army has been printing battery mounts for its M998 HMMWV for some time and announced in 2023 that it intends to extend the use of additive manufacturing to other components of the M998.
The Army Research Laboratory is currently working on the additive manufacturing of a variety of vehicle components - from drive systems to turret components. In addition, the Next-Gen Combat Vehicles (NGVC) program, which was launched in 2017, is working with 3D-printed titanium to create lightweight and durable military vehicle components. Further information on the Army Research Laboratory's use of additive manufacturing can be found in this PDF file.
Another very promising project for additively manufactured combat vehicle parts is the so-called "Jointless Hull" project of the US Army Ground Vehicle System Center (GVSC). Together with ASTRO America, an NPO funded by the US government, and subcontractors such as Ingersoll Machine Tools, Siemens and several others, the largest metal 3D printer in the world, with a build volume of over 200,000 liters, was built in 2021. In the near future, this will also be used to print very large components of combat vehicles, such as complete car bodies, in one piece.
But 3D printing also plays an important role in the army outside of the battlefield. For example, soldiers wounded on the battlefield often require personalized prostheses, which can take up to several months to produce using conventional methods, depending on the type of injury and workload. With 3D printing, on the other hand, individualized prostheses can be produced within a few hours - even directly in the military hospital itself in an emergency.
Equipment for the sea
Additive manufacturing for military ships took some time longer than in the other branches of the military. For a long time, the forces exerted on military vessels were an exclusion criterion for 3D-printed components, as the required resistance was not achievable.
The first fully 3D-printed and ready-to-use component for a ship was produced in 2017 - the "WAAMpeller" by Dutch company RAMLAB. This 1.3-metre propeller, which weighs just 180 kg, finally made its maiden voyage in 2018, which went off without a hitch, and has since been further optimized for use.
The first 3D-printed component was then used on a military ship at the end of 2018. A drain strainer nozzle from a 3D printer was successfully installed in the steam line of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and has been serving with complete success ever since.
Since 2019, the US Navy has been focusing its additive production on spare parts for submarines in particular. As traditional manufacturing methods have long lead times, which means that submarines may not be usable for a long time, the high speed of additive manufacturing is ideal for avoiding emergency failures. Complete submarine hulls have also already been printed, for example a SEAL Delivery Verhicle in 2017, but these are still only in the prototype stage.
In 2022, the US Navy also installed the first 3D printers on ships themselves in order to be able to carry out repair work on the high seas without having to store tons of spare parts on the ship. 3D printers first became standard equipment on the USS Essex and later also on the USS Bataan, both amphibious assault ships.
Such 3D printers on ships not only help the navy itself, amphibious ground forces or military aircraft on sea missions also benefit from the rapid production of spare parts on military ships. 3D printers on ships can also be useful for research purposes - the German Navy, for example, has been using 3D printers for this purpose for several years.
Equipment for the air
The first 3D-printed components in an aircraft were already available in 2013 - but initially only in commercial aircraft. As the requirements for military aircraft are even stricter, development in the military sector took a little longer.
The first breakthrough was achieved in 2015, when the first 3D-printed component for a jet engine was certified by the FAA for commercial use. Since then, high-ranking aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and General Motors have been vying for an expansion of 3D-printed components that can be installed in aircraft.
The first 3D-printed components were used in military aircraft in 2019. Initially, these were only non-critical components, such as a footboard bracket in the cockpit of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Despite the non-critical nature of these components, they were another breakthrough for additive manufacturing in the field of military aircraft.
The final breakthrough came at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex in 2020, where the first additively manufactured component was produced and successfully tested on a US Air Force engine. This component, which was first used on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, was proof for the US Air Force that 3D printing can also meet the extraordinarily strict regulations for critical military aircraft components.
Since then, 3D printing has gradually opened up further areas of application for military aircraft. For example, spare parts for the legendary UH-60 Black Hawk are now being produced using additive manufacturing. As this helicopter has been in service for over 40 years, production has been discontinued for over a decade, meaning that spare parts are now very rare.
According to the former Commander Major General of the US AMCOM (Army Aviation and Missle Command) Todd Royar, it sometimes took over two years before the required spare parts could be delivered. 3D printing has solved and continues to solve this problem by making it possible to produce spare parts quickly and easily.
3D printing is now also increasingly being used in the field of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles). The housings for some small combat or logistics drones have already been produced entirely using additive manufacturing since 2021, as this enables particularly lightweight components.
Last but not least, a brand new project from Boeing should also be mentioned. Since the end of 2023, Boeing has been working with ASTRO America to produce components for its AH-64 combat helicopter using additive manufacturing. The first goal of this collaboration is to test a fully 3D-printed main rotor system in the near future and have it in service in the more distant future.
The reasons for the expansion of additive manufacturing
We have now seen some of the applications of 3D printing in the military, at least those where information is publicly available. These are obviously diverse - and even more obvious is the steady expansion of additive manufacturing in the military since the early 2010s.
Straits Research puts the value of 3D printing in the aerospace and defense market at $1.35 billion in 2021 - and projects a compound annual growth rate of 26.1% through 2030. Exactly why this huge increase is expected should be more than apparent from the benefits below.
On-Demand-Production
Clearly the most all-encompassing reason is the rapid on-demand production of components. Be it spare parts or stand-alone equipment, none of the traditional manufacturing methods can match the production flexibility of additive manufacturing.
This flexibility is of course valued in many industries, but there is hardly any other application where it is needed as urgently as in the military. Emergencies and theaters of war are many things, but they cannot be planned for. With 3D printing, this unpredictability can be better dealt with, production peaks can be mastered and the ramp-up of production capacities can be facilitated.
However, it is not only in production halls and factories that components can be produced quickly; 3D printers can also be used in the immediate vicinity of combat operations or emergency situations. Whether in a command center, a military hospital, on a ship or even in an aircraft, 3D printing enables the military to literally put the term "on-demand" into practice.
The possibility of producing critical components in-house or, in the case of a service provider, close to the region should no longer be underestimated, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. After all, a single missing component is enough to bring the production of essential equipment to a standstill - and if production comes to a standstill in exceptional situations and emergencies, it is no longer just a question of lost sales, but of lost human lives.
Many military components are also subject to the highest levels of secrecy. Particularly in the case of prototypes of future equipment, a leak to enemy troops, for example, would be catastrophic - and the more parties involved in production, the greater the likelihood of secrets becoming public knowledge. Therefore, the use of an in-house 3D printer or a full service provider that handles all production and post-processing work is ideal for maintaining the security of military components.
Lightweight and complex components
Weight plays an essential role in mobility applications in particular. The less a vehicle weighs, the less energy is required to move it.
But soldiers also benefit from lighter equipment. The Combat Load Report of the Marine Corps Combat Development Commands from 2003 puts the maximum weight that a soldier should carry in order to guarantee maximum performance at 33% of body weight. With a body weight of 80 kg, 26.4 kg of equipment weight would therefore be the absolute maximum in order not to restrict flexibility and mobility - but nowadays infantry units very often carry over 40 kilograms on their shoulders.
Additive manufacturing enables the production of lightweight components without sacrificing mechanical performance. This is aided on the one hand by certain materials, and on the other by the almost unlimited freedom of design, which makes very complex components possible.
When it comes to materials, fiber-reinforced materials and various types of resins are particularly impressive. Carbon fiber composites, for example, are already widely used as a metal substitute, as they offer very similar mechanical properties but have a much lower density, making the printed parts much lighter. High-performance polymers such as PEEK are also ideal for this purpose.
The design freedom benefits internal structures in particular. This means that components can be created completely or partially hollow and with complex internal structures, e.g. honeycomb or channel-like, without great effort. As a result, the weight can be massively reduced without restricting the mechanical performance.
Maximized individualization
Even if a large number of military devices are designed for mass production, classic examples being projectiles or certain infantry rifles such as the AK-47 or the M16, a high degree of individuality is nevertheless required for certain military components.
Prostheses and the importance of individuality and production speed in the manufacture of these have already been mentioned. But even with military equipment such as helmets, gas masks, medical instruments, bulletproof vests and many others, personalization to the respective wearer can make the difference between life and death.
The degree of customization also plays a major role in highly specialized firearms, especially sniper rifles. Additive manufacturing enables elements such as sights, grips, rifle butts or supports to be adapted directly to the shooter, which can massively increase accuracy.
Last but not least, of course, is the individualization of components for military vehicles of all kinds. These customizations can be used to adapt vehicles to certain conditions, improve their aerodynamics and reduce their weight, for example.
Schnelles Prototyping
While I have largely excluded prototyping from the list of applications, it would be more than inappropriate not to mention the huge advantage that rapid prototyping offers the military.
The massively shortened iteration cycles and the ease of making changes to the digital model make 3D printing the ideal prototyping tool for defense companies and the military. This means that far more tests can be carried out on the respective components, maximizing their safety, functionality and durability.
The areas of application are countless and cover all areas of the military. From small parts such as helmet fasteners and triggers to large-format components such as complete firearm prototypes and vehicle parts - almost every possible component is suitable for rapid prototyping.
Even when it comes to areas such as robotics, prototyping with 3D printing offers massive advantages. Future technologies can be produced and tested at high speed and any weak points can be easily rectified. The influence of additive manufacturing will therefore have a major impact on the future of the military and make the development of new systems faster than ever before.
Conclusion
The military took an early interest in 3D printing. The potential benefits of 3D printing, even in its early days, were not to be missed by the military around the world.
Nevertheless, it took some time before tangible results could be seen. The strict regulations regarding safety and durability posed major challenges even for the promising technology of additive manufacturing.
However, the massive expansion of material selection and the rapid technical progress of 3D printing, especially in the late 2000s, have eliminated these challenges blow by blow - and it is now impossible to imagine all areas of the military without additive manufacturing.
This is particularly evident in the US Department of Defense's Additive Manufacturing Strategy. This strategy paper discusses the future impact and improvements of additive manufacturing in the military and outlines the key objectives of this strategy.
These goals can be summarized in five main points:
- Integration of additive manufacturing into production
- Coordination of activities related to additive manufacturing
- Promotion of technology related to additive manufacturing
- Expanding knowledge of additive manufacturing
- Ensuring an ideal workflow with additive manufacturing.
At PartsToGo, we work on exactly the same goals every day and therefore, as a 3D printing service provider with excellent service and exceptional expertise, we enable the effortless implementation of projects and ideas with additive manufacturing for defense companies.
If you would like to benefit from us and turn your ideas into reality with maximum efficiency, you can contact us directly using the button below. We will get back to you as soon as possible and clarify all the individualities of your project so that it is implemented exactly according to your ideas!
Our ideal solution for the military
Last but not least, we would like to highlight our ideal solution for military components, with which many of our projects are implemented. You can find a complete overview of our solutions and more information about our capabilities on our applications page.
A variety of materials and printers are available to produce components for the military, depending on the application. However, a fantastic all-round combination is the FDM Nylon 12CF in combination with the Fortus® 450mc from Stratasys®.
The FDM Nylon 12CF combines PA12 with chopped carbon fibers, which increase the strength and stiffness of the matrix material without affecting the density. The resulting outstanding strength-to-weight ratio makes components made from this material an ideal replacement for heavy and cost-intensive metal parts.
The material can be used for both end components and prototyping. Whether tools, functional and design models, vehicle or infantry equipment components - the FDM Nylon 12CF shines across the board.
The F900™ is the ideal tool for processing this material. It stands out for its outstanding reliability, consistency and reproducibility, which improves the print success rate. Furthermore, this printer produces near isotropic parts and has a very wide range of materials, including several composites.
And that brings us to the end of this blog post. Thank you very much for your attention - and see you in the next blog post!
