3d Printing Tanks for the Army
- By Gas
- The Bear Pit
- 4 Replies
So, it’s my 3rd day out of state and I have some free time, hence, knowing there are many tech buffs in here, wanted to share something interesting and futuristic. I was the lead applications engineer on this project and it was also my first project of this magnitude. So, since the information is already out there and can be found in public, I can proudly share something that’s going to push our combat vehicles to the next level in the future. I’m proud to present you the worlds largest metal/hybrid 3d printer that is going to develop combat vehicles and hopefully tanks for the DEVCOM in the scope of the “jointless hull” project: The Masterprint Metal.
The concept of this means of manufacturing a military vehicle is very original and interesting. The key is, there are little to no weld seams, which are typically the weakest points of military vehicles. Because the process of welding brings the metal above it’s melting temperature which is beyond the TG, the metal at and about the weld seems on the vehicles loses the hardness from the annealing and creates a weak spot. Hence DEVCOM was looking at a technology that could solve this issue and produce jointless vehicle parts and eventually entire hulls.
After long studies it was decided that solid state deposition would be chosen. Reason being:
Solid state deposition is a relatively new additive manufacturing technology in which the metal doesn’t actually melt, but only plasticises by means of introducing a specific combination of heat and pressure. This means the metal can still be deposited almost as if it has been molten, but it actually never even gets to it’s TG. A micro-particle study done by one of our military research divisions has shown that while in more typical metal additive manufacturing methods (like DED or DMLS) the micro-particles of the printed part are in average around 800-100 microns apart, in a part manufactured via SSD, the micro-particles are in orders of magnitude closer, around 5-10 microns apart, hence the end use part is much stronger. Now it is important to note, this doesn’t go to say that a part made by SSD doesn’t need annealing, it can still benefit from the process, but it showcases, that a non annealed part made by SSD would be much stronger than a non annealed part from any other additive manufacturing technology.
For parts that are too large to anneal, this becomes the absolute go to technology because not only it produces the strength needed, but also the part can be printed as a near net-shape and be machined in minimal times, with minimal tool and machine wear and minimal loss of the material.
So, the Army’s “jointless hull” program was a GO. The program consisted of making 2 hybrid metal printers that could produce parts in near net-shape via SSD and then mill to spec. I call the printers “big and little brothers”, but a more accurate description would be a large scale printer and a waayy to large scale printer. Both machines have been made, passed the acceptance tests and are already in Army facilities.
Currently there are 3 companies in the US and the world that have this technology. Having met and worked with all 3, I am now a believer in solid state deposition to the point that I can confidently say, it’s one of the biggest technological achievements in the last 10 years. This does not mean that it can take the place of other technologies, because the application is very specific and would not be compatible or feasible in many other applications, however, solid state deposition can do something none of the other technologies can and this cements it’s place in todays manufacturing.
In closing, this was one of the most satisfactory accomplishments in my life and hopefully a start of something much bigger for the US military. Mmmurica!
I have linked a couple articles if anyone wants to look further into it. Although the machine looks huge in the picture, trust me, it’s much bigger in person, lol.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-ar...st-metal-3d-printer-heres-what-it-will-print/
www.voxelmatters.com
The concept of this means of manufacturing a military vehicle is very original and interesting. The key is, there are little to no weld seams, which are typically the weakest points of military vehicles. Because the process of welding brings the metal above it’s melting temperature which is beyond the TG, the metal at and about the weld seems on the vehicles loses the hardness from the annealing and creates a weak spot. Hence DEVCOM was looking at a technology that could solve this issue and produce jointless vehicle parts and eventually entire hulls.
After long studies it was decided that solid state deposition would be chosen. Reason being:
Solid state deposition is a relatively new additive manufacturing technology in which the metal doesn’t actually melt, but only plasticises by means of introducing a specific combination of heat and pressure. This means the metal can still be deposited almost as if it has been molten, but it actually never even gets to it’s TG. A micro-particle study done by one of our military research divisions has shown that while in more typical metal additive manufacturing methods (like DED or DMLS) the micro-particles of the printed part are in average around 800-100 microns apart, in a part manufactured via SSD, the micro-particles are in orders of magnitude closer, around 5-10 microns apart, hence the end use part is much stronger. Now it is important to note, this doesn’t go to say that a part made by SSD doesn’t need annealing, it can still benefit from the process, but it showcases, that a non annealed part made by SSD would be much stronger than a non annealed part from any other additive manufacturing technology.
For parts that are too large to anneal, this becomes the absolute go to technology because not only it produces the strength needed, but also the part can be printed as a near net-shape and be machined in minimal times, with minimal tool and machine wear and minimal loss of the material.
So, the Army’s “jointless hull” program was a GO. The program consisted of making 2 hybrid metal printers that could produce parts in near net-shape via SSD and then mill to spec. I call the printers “big and little brothers”, but a more accurate description would be a large scale printer and a waayy to large scale printer. Both machines have been made, passed the acceptance tests and are already in Army facilities.
Currently there are 3 companies in the US and the world that have this technology. Having met and worked with all 3, I am now a believer in solid state deposition to the point that I can confidently say, it’s one of the biggest technological achievements in the last 10 years. This does not mean that it can take the place of other technologies, because the application is very specific and would not be compatible or feasible in many other applications, however, solid state deposition can do something none of the other technologies can and this cements it’s place in todays manufacturing.
In closing, this was one of the most satisfactory accomplishments in my life and hopefully a start of something much bigger for the US military. Mmmurica!
I have linked a couple articles if anyone wants to look further into it. Although the machine looks huge in the picture, trust me, it’s much bigger in person, lol.
https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/the-ar...st-metal-3d-printer-heres-what-it-will-print/
Ingersoll and MELD are developing a metal 3D printer for vehicle-size parts
Ingersoll and MELD are developing a metal 3D printer for vehicle-size parts, working with the US Army on the Jointless Hull project
www.voxelmatters.com
