Additive Manufacturing - An Emergent, "Game Changer" Technology

11 April 2014

For this week's article, I'd like to highlight an emerging technology that everyone should be aware of: Additive Manufacturing (AM) or what some call "3D Printing". When you come to learn and appreciate the potential of AM its hard not to judge this as a true game-changer; one that will ultimately have far reaching, historical impacts onto our society at-large. What is AM? In general, it is a technology application process where a three dimensional object is derived from a digital model input. Using an additive process where successive layers of liquid, powder, paper, or sheet material build into a solid model using a series of cross sections, the final product output is a replica of the originating digital model input.

Why do I characterize AM as an emergent "game-changer"? In the not too distant future, AM will fundamentally render today's production processes obsolete. What constitutes traditional definitions of a factory will be forever altered. How we currently define "supply chain" or "logistics tail" will no longer apply. Demands on shipping and transportation of goods will be completely restructured and vastly reduced. Distribution of goods will become de-globalized. Decentralized, consumer specific, on demand, niche product customization will be our basic economical baseline. Think about the macro-economic and even geo-political power shifting this disruptive technology will represent world-wide.

Filtering down into applications in defense-aerospace, think about how AM could be applied by the Soldier in the field. On demand aviation parts whenever and wherever needed. Modular component of missile kits built for mission-specific applications. AM parts can be optimized for structural and dynamic response properties. AM also allows printed electronics to use space more efficiently than conventionally made electronics. Collectively, AM will revolutionize conformal applications vastly reducing size, weight and power impacts. I could go on and on about the envisioned future, nice to speculate but the key question is: what is really happening "today"?

AMRDEC has an active S&T effort to investigating trade studies in using AM to minimize cost and optimized performance of missile structures, using topology optimization routines to enhance design and analysis of AM built structures, and characterizing materials and processes for specific missile applications. Teaming with RDECOM, NASA MSFC, and the America Makes National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, AMRDEC will investigate procurements of AM machines to support our research needs, build a cadre of engineers and scientists savvy on this technology, fabricate and performance test qualify components for ground and flight test.

Reality check: the current state of this technology is immature. We have a ways to go before we can even begin to think of deploying this into the field and/or designing critical aviation and missile parts using AM products. However, like the advent of the personal computer in the early 1980's (yes - for you young folks there was such an era), I believe it is only a matter of time before AM becomes a fundamental enabling fabric of our society. When it comes to this "game changing" technology, we all need to be generally cognizant of this emergent brave new world quickly coming our way.