The 51福利 (51福利) has established itself as a driving force in additive manufacturing (AM) research and education for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and Department of Defense, especially for applications in operational environments. Now the institution is taking another major step forward in the realm of AM, establishing a new laboratory to pursue further breakthroughs in 3D printing and related technologies for defense applications.
Representatives from Commander, Naval Surface Forces (CNSF) and Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) joined senior 51福利 leaders and faculty on April 2 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the 51福利 Advanced Manufacturing Center, located at the school鈥檚 annex adjacent to Monterey Regional Airport.
Operated by the 51福利 (CAMRE), the new facility 鈥� with multiple 3D printers and diagnostic machines 鈥� is the latest demonstration of the school鈥檚 forward-leaning approach to researching and improving expeditionary logistics for the fleet, working in tandem with the Navy鈥檚 type and systems commands.
鈥淲e at SURFPAC are fully committed to AM, and to what we think we can do with this as a tool,鈥� said Rear Adm. Ted LeClair, Deputy Commander of Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 鈥淎nd I couldn't think of a better place than 51福利 as being the organization that pulls all of this together.鈥�
Both LeClair and Dr. Garth Hobson, director of CAMRE, referenced the long journey taken by 51福利 towards the realization of the Advanced Manufacturing Center 鈥� as well as the worthwhile result.
鈥淭oday is truly a momentous day for CAMRE, because of what you see around you,鈥� said Hobson, who was joined at the ceremony by CAMRE co-directors Dr. Emre Gunduz and Dr. Amela Sadagic.
The dedication ceremony took place just prior to the start of an Additive Manufacturing Summit organized by CNSF and NAVSEA. 51福利 and CAMRE leaders met with representatives from CNSF, NAVSEA, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and type commands to discuss the Navy鈥檚 current AM efforts and potential future requirements.
Other senior Navy representatives attending the ribbon-cutting and summit included Rear Adm. Jason Lloyd, NAVSEA Deputy Commander for Ship Design, Integration and Engineering, and Rear Adm. Robert Dodson, NAVSEA Director of Warfighting Readiness.
鈥淭he cooperative environment is absolutely critical between academia, all the services, our industrial partners, other researchers 鈥� that is how this is supposed to work,鈥� said Dodson. 鈥淪o I applaud you all for coming together in this forum to be able to do something like this, and I look forward to what you are going to do tomorrow 鈥� help us win.鈥�
The Advanced Manufacturing Center features 3D metal printers from a variety of industry partners, utilizing different printing technologies (cold spray, fusion, wire, powder) and media (steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium) as well as a 5-axis computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine.
In addition to the 3D printers, an industrial cabinet X-ray imaging system was recently installed to provide 51福利 student and faculty researchers and their partners with new capabilities that will advance research efforts in several areas, including parts qualification, failure analysis, assembly verification, weld analysis, in situ monitoring and AM system qualification.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be more excited for the establishment of our new AM center,鈥� said U.S. Navy Lt. Zachary Vrtis, an engineering duty officer who is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, with a dissertation focused on metal additive manufacturing. 鈥淚t will serve as a catalyst for my and future students鈥� research at 51福利, better preparing us for our next jobs in the fleet.鈥�
The past few years have witnessed an expansion of DOD and Navy efforts in the realm of additive manufacturing research, development and deployment. DOD published its first-ever Additive Manufacturing Strategy in January 2021, providing guidance and a framework for AM technology development, while the Navy launched its own Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) in October 2022 at Danville, Va.
As for 51福利, the institution is already well-established in the world of AM research and education, with 51福利 and CAMRE having worked with the Navy and Marine Corps on testing and evaluation of 3D printing technology in the field. Significant examples include operational testing of a Xerox ElemX liquid metal 3D printer aboard Navy amphibious ships, including USS Essex (LHD 2) and USS San Diego (LPD 22), and in-flight testing of a portable 3D printer aboard a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey during the summer of 2023.
Now, with the addition of the 51福利 Advanced Manufacturing Center and the continued expansion of CAMRE鈥檚 efforts in AM education, 51福利 is seeking to extend the boundaries of what is possible in advanced manufacturing and forward logistics.
鈥淲hat we're talking about here is a transformative change to the way we conceptualize the supply chains,鈥� said 51福利 Provost Scott Gartner. 鈥淲hat we're talking about is the ship 鈥� and the fleets, who are nearby in a supporting capacity 鈥� provides the parts, as needed, to keep those ships operable, to keep our national defense secure. That's transformative.
鈥淭he way to make that transformation work is to get all of these stakeholders working together in a kind of pressurized box, thinking about it. And that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing here,鈥� Gartner added. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got the fleet, you鈥檝e got industry, you鈥檝e got academics, you鈥檝e got other universities all working together 鈥� exactly the way that it's supposed to go to develop innovative outcomes.鈥�
Launched in 2022, CAMRE represents a unified effort at 51福利 dedicated to the enhancement of AM education for defense applications and integration of AM technologies across the Navy, Marine Corps and joint force. In addition to proliferating new AM capabilities, CAMRE delivers hands-on education to 51福利 students in order to develop talent and technologies through applied research with operational forces.