New
Scientist: Because the US Army has seen a shift in
deployments from large concentrations of soldiers to smaller,
more isolated outposts, it has had difficulty resupplying parts
for broken equipment. To address this concern, the army has
created three mobile labs, which are equipped with 3D printers
and tools such as plasma cutters, for the onsite fabrication of
parts. The $2.8 million labs can be deployed by helicopter, and
the first reached Afghanistan in July, where it has already
been used for everything from repairs to innovative design
work. When soldiers found that one of their radar systems'
batteries were failing in the extreme heat, they used the 3D
printer to create shielding. The design was so successful that
the army adopted the modification and mass-produced the
shielding for other units. Outside of the army, some groups see
the potential of similar units for disaster-recovery efforts,
though the current price of the labs may be cost
prohibitive.
