The past few years have shown us the weaknesses in our global supply chain and the domino effect occurs when they are disrupted. The impact is compounded when the defense industry faces these same challenges, as contractors may not be able to produce parts within the ideal timeframe, thereby delaying deliveries of critical defense infrastructure.
Through metal additive manufacturing (AM)—more commonly known as 3D printing—contractors and government organizations can create distributed supply chains for various components without additional non-recurring expenses. Through the latest advancements in metal AM technology, which include self-calibrating machines that ensure repeatable results without extensive requalification, companies can produce identical parts across any machine without the need of developing new tooling. This means that defense companies can utilize any number of machine shops to procure their parts and strengthen their supply chains.
This session will highlight advancements the AM industry has made over the past several years to make this possible and how engineers can ensure repeatable, predictable outcomes with minimal effort and no additional capital investment.
