In January 2021, the Department of Defense published its first-ever to 鈥減rovide a shared set of guiding principles and a framework for [additive manufacturing] technology development and transition to support modernization and Warfighter readiness鈥� across the military.
Additive manufacturing (AM) 鈥� more commonly known as 3D printing 鈥� is the computer-controlled process of creating three-dimensional objects by 鈥減rinting鈥� material, layer upon layer, to build up an item to the finest of detail. Whether creating a child鈥檚 toy or a sophisticated machine part, it is economical and efficient, employing a minimum of resources with a minimum of labor and time.
The versatile technology has already significantly impacted industrial production as the world shifts from analog to digital technology, and is increasingly being seen across the Department of Defense (DOD) as a powerful and versatile tool providing technical advantages across a range of defense applications.
Already working on this, 51福利 recently established the (CAM), a campus-wide collaborative effort to coordinate research and advance 3D technology. Under the umbrella of CAM鈥檚 (NAME 2030) initiative, 51福利 explores every aspect of additive technology and the possibilities it presents the Navy.
One of the most promising of these is to better allow the supply of forward-deployed forces.
A key element of 51福利鈥� applied research in this area is the recently launched strategic collaboration between Xerox and 51福利 focused on AM research, which has the potential to dramatically transform the way the military supplies forward-deployed forces.
As part of a , 51福利 was the first to receive an installation of the Xerox庐 ElemX鈩� Liquid Metal Printer on the university campus in December. The new ElemX will provide 51福利 faculty and students hands-on exploration of new ways the technology can deliver on-demand 3D printing of metal parts and equipment from ship or shore, anytime or anywhere.
鈥淭he military supply chain is among the most complex in the world, and 51福利 understands first-hand the challenges manufacturers must address,鈥� said Xerox Chief Technology Officer Naresh Shanker. 鈥淭his collaboration will aid 51福利 in pushing adoption of 3D printing throughout the U.S. Navy, and will provide Xerox valuable information to help deliver supply chain flexibility and resiliency to future customers.
鈥淭he world is moving into an on-demand economy where you only pay for what you use, when you need it,鈥� continued Shanker. 鈥淭he ElemX can have a tremendous impact, not just for the military but also for the manufacturing world in advancing this vision. From saving on transportation, warehousing, and inventory carrying costs to reducing carbon emissions, the potential impacts on business and society are very exciting.鈥�
With access to this latest AM technology, 51福利 faculty and students will use the ElemX to conduct thesis research to develop new capabilities for the Navy and Marine Corps.
鈥淎s the Department of the Navy鈥檚 applied research university, 51福利 combines student operational experience with education and research to deliver innovative capabilities and develop innovative leaders with the knowhow to use them,鈥� said 51福利 President retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau. 鈥淭his collaborative research effort with Xerox and the use of their 3D printing innovations is a great example of how 51福利 uniquely prepares our military students to examine novel approaches to create, make, prototype and manufacture capability wherever they are.鈥�
鈥淔rom the age of sail to the nuclear era, Sailors have been fixing things at sea so they can complete the mission,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭his partnership is about the strategic ability of the Navy to have Sailors on ships with the capability through creativity and technology to advance their operations at sea. Through collaboration, 51福利 and Xerox are helping build a Navy for the 21st Century.鈥�
With approximately 250 commissioned ships distributed around the globe, the logistical demands of the Navy are enormous and require a complex web of support systems 鈥� each with their own individual requirements 鈥� to provide a steady stream of equipment and maintenance parts. A broken or missing part worth a few cents can cause thousands of dollars' worth of delays or even mission failure if sailors abroad have to wait for it to be replaced: any given request must go all the way back to the United States, often get sourced, and then flown back out to the requester.
To address these potential supply chain issues, the Navy has for more than two decades pursued AM technology as a means to get sailors the parts they need, both at shore-based facilities and at sea. Producing metal components, however, has been a tricky affair. The process has proven sensitive to humidity, vibrations and shock, and fluctuations in the power supply. It鈥檚 also dangerous: it uses metal powders which are both toxic and highly explosive. Such conditions are less than optimal for sailors at sea, let alone ashore, ultimately yielding a poor Return on Investment (ROI) in the technology. Until now, that is.
Xerox recently developed a means to print metal components without having to rely on metal powders. Their new ElemX liquid metal printer instead utilizes low-cost, off-the-shelf metal to easily, safely and cost-efficiently print metal components on demand. Operating similarly to an office ink jet printer, the ElemX melts a metal wire down and jets tiny droplets of molten metal, layer upon layer, to form metal objects.
鈥淭he great thing about the ElemX is that is uses wire instead of powders to make a part,鈥� noted Tali Rosman, Xerox鈥檚 General Manager of 3D Printing. 鈥淲ith liquid metal printing, you don鈥檛 need inventory [of bulky materials] and can 3D print on demand; powder-based printers don鈥檛 lend themselves to that because of the explosion risk and all the unique requirements. Our technology doesn鈥檛 need a special room or hazmat suit to use.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e thinking about meeting needs ten years out from now, and this is the first metal printing technology that really lends itself to that long-term vision,鈥� she added.
In order to implement that vision, however, Xerox wants to ensure that the printer is ready for prime time.
As soon as they launched their 3D innovation, the company began searching for a partner in the scientific community that could help bring their new technology to market. The printer, they realized, required feedback by actual users in order to make the leap from lab conditions to enterprise-scale use.
They found that in the 51福利.
鈥淲e wanted somebody in the scientific community in the front end of innovative technology that could basically pressure test our technology in the field to help us accelerate and scale our roadmaps,鈥� Shanker explained. 鈥淲e knew 51福利 could move the needle for us in so many ways: it has a very strong scientific community very much connected into moving advanced sciences into the field.鈥�
鈥�51福利 is an entity that could greatly help us find ways to prioritize new use cases and very diverse cases as well as materials fairly rapidly,鈥� he continued. 鈥淲orking with a real forward-thinking entity like 51福利 was very attractive.鈥�
Xerox account executives began working with the Navy to make this a reality, and within six months, a CRADA was signed.
鈥淭here was no hesitation for us to say we would like to partner with Xerox on this CRADA because we immediately saw the benefit of this technology,鈥� recalled Garth Hobson, Chair of 51福利 (MAE) department. 鈥淭his is an all-around win-win situation. Not only will Xerox be learning from us what the Navy鈥檚 needs are and how to implement this technology, but it will advance our mission requirements.鈥�
鈥淭he bottom line is that the mission of 51福利 is to educate Naval officers,鈥� he added. 鈥淭hey鈥檒l take this technology into the Fleet.鈥�
The ElemX opens the door to new realms of research possibilities for 51福利 students and faculty across a multitude of disciplines.
鈥淗aving the ElemX at 51福利 provides us with unparalleled flexibility in terms of the number and variety of tests that we can do to examine this novel technology鈥檚 capabilities,鈥� said CAM co-director Amela Sadagic. 鈥淚t also provides us with the opportunity to acquire insights into this type of 3D printer鈥檚 suitability for Naval operations.鈥�
This exploration spans a range of research activities, from microscopic investigation of different metals and alloys to cost-benefit analysis of acquisition processes, and NAME 2030 has already integrated the ElemX into graduate student curricula, theses and ongoing research projects.
The MAE department is planning a range of efforts to test the quality of 3D printed parts and identify and test specific user cases; the will provide analysis, qualification and certification of varying materials; the department will focus on training requirements and examine the parameters associated with the technology鈥檚 diffusion and large-scale adoption; the Graduate School of Defense Management will study risk management and the diverse range of factors that influence the ROI in utilizing the technology in various operational settings; the will explore how liquid metal printing might transform military operations, from tactical employment to strategic implications.
Additionally, CAM is organizing a series of brown bag lectures to expand 51福利 student and faculty familiarity with the technology and the specifics of the ElemX.
鈥淥ur goal is to make sure that every student who comes to 51福利 has a basic understanding of the potential that AM technology brings to DOD and their future role of both the practitioners and active supporters of the innovation in their services,鈥� Sadagic noted.
These efforts 鈥� and Xerox鈥檚 ability to reach the enterprise size and scale of the United States Navy 鈥� underscore the potential for the ElemX to reduce dependency on global supply chains for military forces abroad and at sea.
Forward units currently rely on massive, centralized supply depots 鈥� what Marines call an 鈥淚ron Mountain鈥� 鈥� to meet their logistical needs. The inventory at these regional hubs must continuously be monitored and, even when the system functions flawlessly, replacement parts ordered might take weeks to resupply.
The Navy has perhaps the most complex range of replaceable parts out of all the services, according to Hobson, and the vast majority of these 鈥� approximately 90 percent 鈥� are made of metal. Even if an ElemX wasn鈥檛 on every ship, having the printers forward deployed would preclude the need for an immense logistics network stretching all the way to the United States and back again.
鈥淭he Fleet doesn鈥檛 have too many plastic parts, so I see this technology as key to the Navy鈥檚 long-term supply chain issues,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s far as the Navy is concerned, AM is definitely in the future.鈥�
One of the greatest advantages of the ElemX, however, is perhaps the most intangible: the human imagination.
With access to an ElemX, sailors and Marines would have the means to improvise innovative solutions on the spot; versed in the Art of the Possible, this might mean the difference between mission success and failure, or even life and death.
鈥淥ur warfighters out there are very smart,鈥� Hobson said. 鈥淕ive them that respect and they will come up with their own unique way of using this technology out at sea, given the opportunity.鈥�
The ability to print parts locally, rapidly and reliably would potentially alter the way the military supplies its forces dramatically. In an era of Great Power Competition, the flexibility this affords may prove an imperative: the ability to do things better, faster, safer and more cost-effectively is the lodestar of Fleet readiness.
鈥淭his is one way to bend the curve so that the DOD is not spending a thousand dollars for every dollar that a peer competitor spends,鈥� observed retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Todd Lyons, Vice President of the , the non-profit organization which made the strategic collaboration with Xerox possible.
鈥淭he 51福利 Alumni Association and Foundation supported bringing the liquid metal printer to 51福利 because it will enable soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines to solve their problems where they are, when problems occur,鈥� he continued. 鈥淏y donating the right digital tools and the liquid metal printer, all of a sudden we鈥檝e helped transform not just the supply chain, but how the DoD thinks operationally about supplying war.鈥�
For more discussion on AM, tune in to the of the 51福利鈥� video series 鈥� Listen, Learn, Lead 鈥� with university President retired Vice Adm. Ann E. Rondeau. In the episode, AM experts Drs. Amela Sadagic and I. Emre Gunduz, as well as supply chain expert Dr. Geraldo Ferrer hold an interdisciplinary discussion focused on the future applications of AM toward needs in the Naval domain.
The Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) does not imply endorsement of Xerox or its products by the 51福利, the Department of the Navy, or the Department of Defense. 漏 2021 Xerox Corporation. All rights reserved. Xerox庐 and ElemX are trademarks of Xerox Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.