Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2023 - 7

Additive Manufacturing
(Left) closeup of a 3D-printed ramjet from a recent DoD/LIFT Institute/Lockheed Martin collaborative project. (Right) Small scale, and full-size, ramjets at the
production facility. (Image: DoD, LIFT Institute and Lockheed Martin.)
was collated and compared, with these
results: Mechanical testing and flow
testing - along with destructive and
non-destructive evaluation of the material
coupons - demonstrated that all of
the parts, both metallurgically and functionally,
met IMI's design and performance
specifications (AML Level 3 per
API20S) standards set by the American
Petroleum Institute (API).
Today, the company is conducting
other equally ambitious projects with
the Velo3D network of distributed CMs.
They know that they have a dependable,
scalable supply chain, can duplicate or
improve legacy parts, can ramp up or
down without recertification, and can
carry this business model forward with
thousands of low or no inventory, highstress,
unique components.
Military Opportunities
Use of advanced 3D printing paves the
way for quick, iterative improvements to
military designs, many of which may represent
legacy parts in need of new features
and better performance. Similar to heavy
industry, like the oil and gas project
above, military components can undergo
uncertain demand cycles - with the latter
shifting between peacetime and wartime
as well. Agility needs to be economically
built into planning and execution.
By embracing advanced metal additive
manufacturing, ammunition and systems
manufacturers can enhance their
responsiveness to changing demands
and better secure their supply chains
against potential threats. The flexibility
of additive manufacturing also reduces
the need for massive, specialized manufacturing
facilities and allows for a
diverse range of ammunition parts to be
produced more efficiently.
Today, military branches in the U.S.
and Europe are actively exploring AM.
The results have been positive. With longterm
funding in the U.S. from initiatives
such as the Organic Industrial Base (OIB)
for " modernization, robotic processes,
and surge capacity, " of Army vehicles
and ammunition, AM stands as a complementary,
embedded technology ready
to serve within large, dedicated defense
facilities. In turn, the growing resource of
distributed AM-manufacturing centers -
already producing proven aerospace and
defense parts and systems - can provide
the final ingredient for creating a robust
and " surge " ready military supply chain.
These turbopump engine parts and build plate are fresh out of a Velo3D Sapphire XC AM system. Such
large format, 600-mm build-plate printers improve the manufacturing time and economics of 3D metal
printing. They can also accommodate different part types from various military systems that use the same
material, thereby enhancing agile, as-needed, low-cost manufacturing. (Image: Velo3D and UC Boulder
Students Zachary Lesan and Patrick Watson.)
Aerospace & Defense Technology, December 2023
mobilityengineeringtech.com
This article was written by Matt Karesh,
Director of Technical Business Development,
Velo3D. For more information,
visit www.velo3d.com.
7

http://www.velo3d.com http://mobilityengineeringtech.com

Aerospace & Defense Technology - December 2023

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