Essentium demonstrates AM capabilities to US Navy at REPTX

Essentium Inc., a leader in industrial additive manufacturing, has successfully completed its initial participation in the US Navy’s Repair Technology Exercise (REPTX) at Port Hueneme, California. At REPTX, Essentium demonstrated to government, academia, and industry participants the viability and efficacy of its AM solutions to expand the Navy’s ability to perform expeditionary maintenance operations.

Members of the Essentium team joined approximately 60 naval, academia, and industry participants in a two-week training exercise focused on bringing innovative technologies together to solve US Navy maintenance challenges as part of ANTX-Coastal Trident 2022.

The Essentium team and fellow REPTX participants focused on applying additive manufacturing, robotics and unmanned systems, augmented reality, surface preparation and repair, communication, and data connectivity in a series of real-world-based scenarios organized by the United States Navy. Each scenario included a variety of industry 4.0 technologies that challenged participants to collaboratively solve maintenance problems aboard the US Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship within a given time.

“The opportunity to work directly with sailors offered amazing insight into how additive manufacturing can benefit the future of digital manufacturing within the Navy,” said Zach Burhop, Applications Engineer III at Essentium. “The unique environment of a Navy ship showcased the need for a deployable digital manufacturing solution that can address the wide diversity of part needs both at port and when underway.”

Essentium demonstrated the capabilities of a modified Essentium 280i HSE 3D printer that was augmented by field-deployable features as part of existing efforts ongoing with the US National Guard Bureau and US Air Force. National Guard members encouraged participation in the Navy demonstration as an exercise in providing joint capability for future 3D printing endeavors.

“Essentium is committed to exploration at the edge of additive manufacturing and is grateful to have found such amazing partners in ARCWERX, the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office, and now the US Navy to do so,” said Elisa Teipel, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer at Essentium. “We are thrilled to work collaboratively on challenges, participate in amazing events like REPTX, and are excited to see what comes next.”