Defense Horizons. No. 73. September 2012. Toward the Printed World: Additive Manufacturing and Implications for National Security
Abstract
Additive manufacturing (AM) commonly referred to as three-dimensional or 3D printing is a prospective game changer with implications and opportunities that affect not just the Department of Defense (DOD) but the economy as a whole. The technology allows the art to part fabrication of complex objects from a computer model without part-specific tooling or human intervention. AM has already impacted a variety of industries and has the potential to present legal and economic issues with its strong economic and health-care benefits. Because of its remarkable ability to produce a wide variety of objects, AM also can have significant national security implications. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general introduction to these issues for nontechnical readers through a survey of the recent history and the current state of technology. Included in this paper is a brief review identifying key individuals and organizations shaping developments as well as projected trends. AM refers to the production of a three-dimensional object through the layerby- layer addition of material according to a geometrical computer model. AM contrasts with other forms of manufacturing that require either the removal or alteration of material to produce a completed object. For example, a 3D printer could build a crescent wrench by adding a layer of material and stacking another layer on top of that one and fusing them together, repeating the process until the wrench is complete.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA577419
Entities
People
- Connor M. Mcnulty
- Neyla Arnas
- Thomas A. Campbell
Organizations
- National Defense University