Additive Manufacturing: Implications to the Army Organic Industrial Base in 2030

Abstract

What disruptive technology will change the way the United States and the world operate and could fundamentally change the way the Army Organic Industrial Base (AOIB) operates? There are many who believe that Additive Manufacturing (AM) is that technology. This paper investigates how AM could affect the AOIB, and how the resulting manufacturing efficiencies could drive down costs and increase flexibility and responsiveness within the Department of Defense (DoD). The paper first defines AM, and then discusses the status of the technology, its current uses within DoD, its advantages and disadvantages, and its impact on a particular AOIB process at the Anniston Army Depot. The case study focuses on the most relevant and fastest growing AM application: parts manufacturing and refurbishment. If AM is applied correctly, DoD stands to save significant resources within the AOIB.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA593246

Entities

People

  • Jon R. Drushal

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Additive Manufacturing
  • Assembly
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Disruptive Technology
  • Fabrication
  • Fused Deposition Modeling
  • Logistics
  • Manufacturing
  • Manufacturing Engineering
  • Materials
  • National Security
  • Printing
  • Selective Laser Sintering
  • Supply Chain
  • Three Dimensional
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Systems Analysis and Design