Image: US Department of the Navy.
The US Navy has installed a 3D printer on its Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Essex, to test the viability of this technology at sea.
The USS Essex is the first ship to evaluate a 3D printer under sea conditions. Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department on board the Essex.
Onboard installation and testing was performed on the USS Essex on July 9 with 3D printer supplier Xerox. This operation took place as part of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022 training event, which brings together 26 nations around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California between June 29 and August 4.
The choice of Xerox ElemX
Components that can be printed on the ship include heatsinks, housings, fuel adapters, air purge valves, valve covers and more, according to a US Navy press release.
Nicolas Batista notes that the Navy’s 3D printer is one of the fastest on the market, capable of manufacturing and printing aluminum up to 25 centimeters by 25 centimeters. “The capabilities of the 3D printer will allow Essex to become more autonomous,” also noted Nicolas Batista.
The Navy will soon begin training sailors to use the 3D printing equipment.
According to Xerox, the USS Essex has installed Xerox’s ElemX Liquid Process Metal Printer, which is based on the Elem Additive Printer. “The military supply chain is one of the most complex in the world and the installation of the ElemX on the USS Essex means that sailors can now circumvent this complexity and print parts when and where they need them” , says Tali Rosman, Managing Director of Elem Additive.
Find new approaches
The Xerox ElemX uses standard aluminum wire rather than metal powders which can be hazardous. Xerox says the printer does not need to be modified for installation and users do not need to wear personal protective equipment to operate the machine.
However, to protect the ElemX at sea, it was installed in an industrial shipping container. Testing to date has established operational guidelines and technical feasibility studies to determine applications and use cases.
A team from USS Essex will design and print onboard items and provide feedback to the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS), which installed an ElemX last year.
The Department of the Navy’s Applied Research University installed the ElemX to prepare its military students to “examine new approaches to creating, prototyping, and manufacturing capabilities wherever they are.”
Source: ZDNet.com