Camp Pendleton boosts defense readiness with EOS metal and polymer AM
Lead times for replacement parts brought down from months to mere hours
The U.S. Marine Corps, and broader American military, are continually seeking to improve operational readiness through state-of-the-art weaponry and in-the-field technologies as well as through streamlined supply chains and maintenance processes. The latter were the focus of a recent field exercise at Camp Pendleton, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. There, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) evaluated the impact of metal and polymer additive manufacturing on defense supply chains and tested the technologies’ viability for on-demand production in the field.
As part of this exercise, U.S. government supplier Phillips Federal and powder bed fusion leader EOS provided both metal and polymer AM solutions to Camp Pendleton. Specifically, an EOS M 290 metal 3D printer and an EOS P 396 SLS system. These were put to work for a diversity of applications, including the production of mission-critical components in field tests. For instance, the EOS P 396 was used to produce over 400 anti-reflective “killflash” devices for weapons optics. While the traditional replacement parts could take up to 59 days to source, the 3D printed devices were made in just two days, saving over $28,000 for the Marine Corps.
I MEF also successfully 3D printed 34 antenna subassemblies, which required just 12 hours to produce, a dramatic lead time acceleration compared to the 184 days it took through traditional procurement chains. Other polymer AM applications for EOS’ SLS technology included generator handles, which took just 10 hours to make at a cost of about $3 per handle; and replacement truck handles, which took just nine hours to manufacture versus 19 days.
On the metal side, Camp Pendleton used EOS’ M 290 platform to produce a series of metal components that had been facing severe supply chain delays. Among these components were 36 M4 swivel mounts, which brought lead times down from 68 days to just 10 hours; TPS-80 G/ATOR radar carrier plates, which were manufactured in less than a day versus lead times of up to 27 months; and PAWL compression latch camshafts, whose lead times were shrunk from 27 months to just 10 hours. The I MEF team also produced a number of components that had been backordered, some that had had lead times of up to two years. These were made in just a couple days.
“The exercise was designed to move beyond technology demonstrations and prove real-world applications for additive manufacturing in deployed environments,” commented Patrick Tucker, Strategic Business Development Manager at Phillips Federal and retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel. “The mission focused on redefining how warfighters are equipped, supported, and sustained.”
The benefits of using EOS’ AM technology at Camp Pendleton can’t be overstated. Supply chain delays and long lead times for replacement parts are a key challenge in defense organizations across the globe, so being able to produce high-quality, mission-critical parts on demand and at the point of need is a total game changer. In this particular Marine Corps exercise, improvements were noted on all fronts, from production speed, to supply chain responsiveness, to overall military readiness thanks to on-site production.
In addition to leveraging the metal and polymer AM solutions for manufacturing replacement components at the point of need, the Camp Pendleton team also explored future applications for the technology, including expeditionary manufacturing (i.e. the containerized 3D printing unit) and rapid drone production for deployed forced. Ultimately, the military exercise further proved AM’s viability for boosting military readiness and decreasing reliance on traditional, delay-prone supply chains for mission-critical parts.
The defense sector has become an increasingly important adopter of AM technologies in recent years, with a growing number of contracts between AM technology companies and defense suppliers. Supply chain resilience and point-of-need production are at the top of the reasons why defense organizations and militaries are turning to the technology. For instance, Firestorm Labs’ xCell containerized manufacturing platform recently 3D printed over 1,000 parts aboard the USS Essex on a two week journey, showcasing the ability for expeditionary manufacturing. U.S. Marines stationed in South Korea also demonstrated AM’s value by 3D printing a replacement component for a U.S. Coast Guard vessel, bringing lead times down from several weeks to hours.
