US Military to Have 3D-Printing Factories in Shipping Containers

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The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) contracted the global leader in industrial sand and metal 3D printers The ExOne Company to develop a self-contained 3D-printing “factory” that operates from a shipping container. The $1.6 million contract aims to create more rugged portable 3D-printing facilities that can be deployed whenever they’re needed for a wide variety of military-focused purposes such as producing spare components. The 3D-printing pods will be housed in regular shipping containers up to 40 feet (12 meters) long will be easy and quick to deploy and won’t require a huge amount of technical knowledge to maneuver. In order to do so ExOne is developing a “military edition” of its binder jet 3D-printing technology. ExOne and the DOD’s upcoming 3D-printing container. ExOne’s upcoming military version will still be able to print using over 20 different metal ceramic or composite materials but will be more rugged with specific body style and other military-specific features. So as to get the containers up and running more quickly ExOne is outsourcing a number of partners for the project; the long list includes Dynovas an expert in materials engineering composites production and weapons as well as Applied Composites – San Diego a provider of composite parts assemblies tooling and engineering of aerospace military and space sectors. “Binder jet 3D printing is a critical manufacturing technology for military use because of its speed flexibility of materials and ease of use ” said John Hartner ExOne’s CEO in a statement. “We’re excited to collaborate with the U.S. Department of Defense and other partners to make our 3D printers more rugged for the military which will also benefit our other manufacturing customers. Different uses for 3D-printing on-the-ground By creating such on-site 3D-printing facilities issues arising from crises can be fixed as quickly as possible and at a lower cost. Shipping containers are being repurposed as homes and shelters when natural

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