US Army tests out 3D printed ammunition containers
Picatinny officials framed additive manufacturing as a surge stopgap and a route to packaging at the point of need
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center at Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey, plans to open research into 3D printed ammunition containers in the next fiscal year, treating additive manufacturing as a way to cover shortfalls in packaging production and to make cases at the point of need.
Jason Runell, Senior Scientific Technical Manager for Packaging at Picatinny, said the first line of inquiry was surge capacity.
“We want to first look into 3D printing for the purposes of addressing production surge. So, if we do have production surges where our ammunition packaging manufacturers can’t keep up with demand, there may be a way to insert 3D printed containers as a stopgap solution,” he said.
The AM work followed the SixPAC, a polymer ammunition container the Armaments Center brought forward in late August after roughly a decade of development. Two fit inside the conventional wire-bound outer packaging, each holding 6.8mm rounds for the Next Generation Squad Weapon. At around 1.3kg (2.8lb), the packs weigh in at roughly half as much as the metal cans they replace.
Metal can supply has contracted to two domestic makers, and for a period to one, with each can requiring a dedicated facility of presses, dies and welding equipment. Officials estimated that more than 800 U.S.-based injection molders could produce the polymer packs.
Officials intend to extend the format to legacy calibers, including 5.56 and .50 caliber, though 7.62mm rounds ship in a smaller case than the standard M2A2 can and would need further engineering.
Karl Weiss, Supervisor for Small and Medium Caliber Ammunition and Weapons Packaging, called the 6.8mm pack a proof of concept for scaling up and said the SixPAC could replace the M2A2.
Several SixPAC variants are still yet to go through operational environment testing, including thermal cycling from 71 to -54 degrees Celsius (160 to -65 degrees Fahrenheit), said Ed Lucas, Design Lead for the Polymer Ammunition Container.
“We have various tests that simulate all of the different things that this will go through, whether it be being thrown off the back of a tactical vehicle. There’s even testing for if it’s dropped off a [ship],” he said.
Earlier user testing took place at Fort Benning, Georgia, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Fort Drum, New York, and at an ammunition supply point in Germany.
