On a global scale, 3D printing technology is flourishing at an unprecedented speed, especially in the military field, where its important strategic position is becoming increasingly prominent and has become a new force in military transformation.
3D printing technology, with its advantages of rapidly manufacturing complex parts, reducing manufacturing time and costs, and improving material utilization, provides unlimited possibilities for updating and upgrading military equipment, and is regarded as a key link in enhancing military capabilities by countries around the world:
One is to rapidly manufacture weapons and equipment to improve response speed.
The most prominent advantage of 3D printing is the rapid manufacturing of integrated complex structural components. 3D printing technology can produce complex weapons, equipment, and components within a few hours, greatly improving the supply capability of weapons and equipment, shortening the downtime of damaged weapons and equipment, and better matching the demand for rapid deployment and repair of weapons and equipment in military operations.
For example, the US Air Force once used 3D printed titanium alloy parts for the F-22 fighter jet. The parts originally made of aluminum were replaced with titanium alloy, which has corrosion-resistant properties. Moreover, it only took 3 days from ordering to delivery to the warehouse, effectively shortening the military aircraft research and development manufacturing cycle.
The second is customizable production, achieving high flexibility.
3D printing technology can manufacture personalized and customized parts, tools, and equipment on site, meeting various special customization needs of high-end weapons and equipment. It has high adaptability and flexibility, and does not require large-scale production lines and inventory.
For example, in 2020, the US Navy used 3D printing technology to manufacture a miniature submarine in 4 weeks, while traditional manufacturing methods take about 5 months.
The third is to reduce logistic burden and lower logistics costs.
3D printing is a key technology for military logistics support. Previously, components needed to be disassembled and taken back for maintenance, but now with the use of 3D printing, they can be directly repaired on site.
The military can use mobile 3D printing equipment for local distributed production on the front line or in remote areas, timely manufacturing of required components, enabling damaged weapons and equipment to be restored to use as soon as possible, shortening downtime, and improving the sustained combat capability of weapons and equipment; Compared to traditional repair methods, the use of 3D printing in military logistics greatly improves the response speed of the military and reduces the risk of supply lines being detected and attacked. At the same time, it reduces the military’s reliance on long-distance transportation and large-scale warehousing, and lowers logistics costs. For example,during the mission of the French Navy’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier in 2018, stainless steel precision metal parts were manufactured using 3D printing technology, and emergency repairs were carried out on the damaged metal parts.
The fourth is to improve resource utilization efficiency and reduce overall investment.
By utilizing the characteristics of integrated 3D printing, the consumables for complex structural components can be reduced, and expensive raw materials can be fully utilized. At the same time, in the manufacturing of small batch weapons and equipment, 3D printing technology can be directly used for modeling and printing without the need to manufacture molds, reducing overall investment.
For example, the metal 3D printing technology provided by Meltio to the French Navy uses a laser beam as a heat source to melt metal wire materials and deposit them layer by layer on the substrate to form the required three-dimensional metal components. This not only greatly saves materials, but also has a smaller volume and is easy to carry.
Although there have been many application cases of 3D printing in the military field, there are still many limitations.
On the one hand, the certification of 3D printing technology for key components of certain weapons and equipment takes a long time because these components require special performance and have extremely high requirements for temperature and pressure. Their manufacturing technology usually requires a long certification process. In addition, there is currently a lack of unified standards and specifications for 3D printing technology, which to some extent hinders the promotion and use of 3D printing in the military field.
On the other hand, components manufactured using 3D printing technology may involve intellectual property issues. In addition to profiting from the sale of weapons and equipment, the sale of components is also an important source of income for military enterprises, and the application of 3D printing in the military field greatly compresses the profit margin of military enterprises. Therefore, military enterprises may sue for intellectual property rights related to 3D printing manufacturing of key components.
In addition, the types of materials available for 3D printing are limited at present, and the performance and quality of some raw materials may not meet the high requirements of the military field. At the same time, due to the connection between 3D printers and computers, there is a risk of being hacked or infected with viruses, which may add defects to printing projects, all of which affect the promotion and application of 3D printing in the military field.
Of course, with the continuous progress and breakthroughs of new 3D printing materials, as well as the integration of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and robots with 3D printing technology, the future development prospects and applications of 3D printing technology in the military field are worth paying attention to!