DoD to push 3D printing

[DocM]

NextGov....

PENTAGON SEEKS TO JOIN 3-D PRINTING REVOLUTION

AP-?The Pentagon will fund an institute for agencies, companies and academics to advance three-dimensional printing techniques, with the eventual goal of cheaper and faster manufacturing of aerospace and defense parts.

Also known as additive manufacturing, 3-D printing uses special machines to make solid objects, layer by layer, from a digital file. Designers use 3-D printers to create cheap prototypes without needing to turn to an assembly line; hobbyists and tinkerers build do-it-yourself projects with the technology. Now the Pentagon wants to capitalize on 3-D printers to shave the costs of assembly tools.

The agency seeks to launch a $60 million 3-D printing research and educational program, documents show. Defense expects to fund $30 million from fiscal 2012 through 2014. The bulk of the funding -- $18.8 million -- is expected to be forked over in fiscal 2012. The 3-D printing initiative will offer a proof of concept on how to build a network of 14 institutes to spur ideas on improving domestic manufacturing, as part of a $1 billion White House initiative called the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation. The program will be managed by various federal agencies, including Defense, the Energy Department, and the National Science Foundation.

The Pentagon is soliciting nonprofit organizations and universities to launch the pilot. The institution should house additive manufacturing experts, have a business plan to ensure it is financially sustainable, and be able to protect the patent rights of inventors. A proposer?s day for the pilot program will be held May 16. Proposals are due on June 14.

?Due to the advantages of additive manufacturing, considerable capability improvements and manufacturing cycle time reductions can be realized for new platforms,? the solicitation notes. ?In addition, parts needed for DoD legacy systems can have a significant cost and cycle time savings because assembly tools are not required.?

The Pentagon?s participation in the 3-D printing revolution would give additional boost to an industry that is expected to grow to $3.1 billion by 2016 and $5.2 billion by 2020, according to research group Wohlers Associates.

[ChronKee]

I thought this really only worked with plastics presently?

[nominak]

I thought this really only worked with plastics presently?

Presently. Now imagine the future.. I'll finally be able to pirate that sports car everyone keeps asking me about.

[DocM]

I thought this really only worked with plastics presently?

It moved well past plastics a.while ago. Now they're using metals, ceramics and ploymers. One method involves using metal particles a few microns in size, fusing them into a solid mass with a laser and prepping each layer for the next with a plasma. They can build up parts using anything from aluminum to titanium.

EADS is planning on printing metal and plastic parts for their Airbus planes in a few years, ranging from hinges to wing brackets, and General Electric plans to use 3D printing up and down their whole product line including jet engines.

[geertd]

ChronKee, on 16 May 2012 - 22:36, said:

I thought this really only worked with plastics presently?

look what

LayerWise NV of Belgium did

with titanium and 3D printing

http://www.gizmag.co...-implant/21383/

http://www.layerwise.com/

[Knife Party]

I thought this really only worked with plastics presently?

and sand, check it out on youtube, they use a solar powered 3D printer to make glass out of sand.