Additive manufacturing is taking part production and making it decentralized, capable of happening at every node of the global network. This is a transformational opportunity, making autonomous units able to attend to their needs, on-demand, upending a complex logistical headache that is the current manufacturing industry. Take for example a military ship, out at sea, with a crisis on their hands and no spare part to patch it. UCONN engineers are devising ways to implement AM capabilities on vessels so that they can have the agility to address the problem without making port. This can be the case for farming platforms or bomb defusing exercises. Crafting their own alternatives brings the problem to the people that are fully immersed in the field, who know what they need and what is lacking in current options. This is an interesting development, not to mention transportation/logistical transformation and IP sharing/securing issues. We still have a lot to figure out, but it’s exciting to be on this wave making it happen.
Full Speed Ahead: Using Additive Manufacturing to Repair Ships at Sea
A team of UConn engineers has now developed a way for a ship’s crew to pinpoint the exact location of any mechanical trouble on board and, instead of taking the ship offline for maintenance, to repair or replace the part while the ship is still at sea. They are also developing a field-deployable manufacturing process that could produce replacement parts from electronic files using a 3-D printer on board ship after the metal-ceramic parts indicate failure or problems.
Read the full article at UCONN Today.
3D Printing Saves Time and Money in Urban Farming Product Design and Prototyping
Brooklyn-based Farmshelf wants to make it easy for anyone to grow their own food, and has developed an autonomous system, complete with custom 3D printed parts, that makes it possible for individuals, restaurants, and residential communities to do so on-site.
Andrew Shearer, CEO and Co-Founder of Farmshelf, said, “As a company, you can now look at 3D printing as a way to involve more people in the building process, and involve more in the prototyping and dreaming process, thanks to how easy it is.”
Keep reading here.
3D Printing Provides Utah Law Enforcement With an Explosive Solution
A police department in the US has invested in a 3D printer and introduced 3D printer courses for its SWAT team and bomb squad. Sgt. Harold “Skip” Curtis, from Utah County Sheriff’s office, initially 3D printed parts for a detonation exercise with the help of explosives service and training bureau WMDTech. Following the success of this, the sheriff’s office has invested in an FFF 3D printer and a dedicated server for sharing designs, while WMDTech has introduced a pilot course to teach SWAT and bomb techs how to draw and print 3D objects.
Read the full article here.
We hope you’ve had a merry and relaxing Christmas and now, we wish you a happy new year!
Follow us on Twitter to keep updated on AM & IIoT related news!
#HaroldCurtis #WMDTech #Utah #bombtraining #Brooklyn #AndrewShearer #repair #navy #ship #Farmshelf #UConn #SWAT