3D-Printed Concrete Fortifications

Last April, engineers of the Maryland Air National Guard partnered with X-Hab 3D to produce a military-grade 3D concrete printer for fortifications. The effort was a success.

In less than a day, the printer churns out modified concrete strong enough to withstand extremely violent impacts and explosives. It only takes three airmen to operate, and the National Guard team mastered its use within a training period of four days.

The U.S. Army Materiel Command is set to expand the use of 3D printing for military construction projects this year after using it to build barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The Texas-based manufacturer ICON constructed the barracks using its five-ton Vulcan printer, which uses a concrete-based material. The Army announced this March that it plans to use 3D printing to construct temporary billets at Fort Polk, La. as well as to repair facilities.

Land Warfare Demands For Containerized 3D Printing

Additive manufacturing processes have exposed two long-standing problems within the defense industry that have plagued military customers – lagging wait times to receive products and a dire need for them.

“It’s been pretty fascinating to see just how much this stuff is needed. I’ve been frankly shocked,” said Dan Magy, CEO and co-founder of Firestorm Labs.

Firestorm, in partnership with HP, provides industrial-grade 3D printing from expandable climate-controlled shipping containers called the xCell system. The company works with an array of military customers including the Army, the U.S. Marines, U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force. Firestorm produces FPV drones and also a large Group 3 drone called the Tempest, which was recently integrated by the Marines into an multinational exercise in the Philippines called Balikatan 2026.

However, while the company’s original focus was on rapidly producing drones, work has shifted due to overwhelming demand for 3D printing, Magy said.

“What we discovered when we took this to the field for the first time almost 18 months ago is, while we intended it to be mainly a drone factory closer to the point of need, the ability for soldiers to build and fix things with industrial-grade manufacturing quality parts is incredibly needed,” he said.

“Even repairing other people’s drones in the field is a common ask we’re getting, which is very interesting and not really what we set out to do," he said.

The military’s need also extends to 3D-printed metal components. Australia-based manufacturer SPEE3D worked with the Army Research Laboratory and the Tennessee Army National Guard to repair a combat vehicle by producing a metal part during a live exercise using its Expeditionary Manufacturing Unit (EMU), also a containerized additive manufacturing process.

“If we can give our soldiers the ability to build critical repair parts in a timely manner that will help improve combat power, enhance readiness, and reduce risk and our logistics footprint that could ultimately help save soldiers’ lives,” Army Lt. Col. Colby Tippens, Executive Officer, 278th Cavalry Regiment, said in a statement regarding the SPEE3D demonstration.

3D Printing In the Maritime Domain

The additive manufacturing process is also rapidly transforming naval warfare. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization teamed with Dutch company CEAD to produce 3-D printed hulls for unmanned surface vessels, or drone boats, for use by NATO Allied Special Operations Command last November. Special warfare operators learned to design and build the boats themselves during an exercise in the Netherlands called Bold Machina.

Amid a long history of lags in shipbuilding and repair, the U.S. Navy has been progressively integrating 3D printing. Last June, Navy engineers used 3D printing to produce parts at speed for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Last year also saw metal components integrated into a variety of naval systems. Huntington Ingalls Industries, working with Newport News Shipbuilding, installed the first 3D printed metal valve on a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise, last March.

“What started as a proof of concept quickly turned into a tangible result that is making a meaningful difference to improve efficiencies in shipbuilding,” Dave Bolcar, vice president of engineering and design for Newport News Shipbuilding, said in a statement.

Expanded capabilities in 3D printing has steadily increased demand for military uses and for mobile additive manufacturing facilities to produce items close at hand and on demand. This points not only to a new era in which low-cost weapons systems such as drones are changing conceptions of battle, but also to an entirely new concept of logistics and supply. Combined with new weapons systems, 3D printing systems are introducing fundamental changes to the way that military forces perform, and have untapped potential to shape the conduct of operations.