Just Do It Yourself: Implementing 3D Printing in a Deployed Environment

Abstract

With increased budget cuts and an aging aircraft fleet, the Air Force is looking for innovative ways to reduce procurement, transportation, and inventory costs of tools, parts and supplies. In particular, traditional manufacturing, taking inventory, and transporting aircraft parts and supplies can be slow, costly, hazardous to personnel, and dangerous for the environment. The new manufacturing technology called 3D printing, also known as Additive Manufacturing has been held out as a possible way to reduce repair time, costs of procurement, transportation, and inventory costs, while also being safer, less labor intensive, and more environmentally sound than traditional manufactured replacement parts.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2017
Accession Number
AD1042209

Entities

People

  • Klinton R. Gager

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms
  • Cyber
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Air Force
  • Airframes
  • Assembly
  • Business Administration
  • Congress
  • Construction
  • Environment
  • Fabrication
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Intellectual Property
  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Military Research
  • Military Science
  • United States Transportation Command
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Business

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering.
  • Manufacturing Engineering.
  • Public Financial Management and Budgeting