Electronic Military & Defense Annual Resource

3rd Edition

Electronic Military & Defense magazine was developed for engineers, program managers, project managers, and those involved in the design and development of electronic and electro-optic systems for military, defense, and aerospace applications.

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Feature approaches, and the technique doesn't require any post processing, such as finishing. Apart from building the functional prototypes, laser consolidation can be used for building parts on existing structures and also for repairing damaged structures. As a result, it holds great potential for repairing or restoring older ships and aircraft and also for upgrading industrial machinery. The approach is already being used by Pratt & Whitney, GE, and the Canadian Navy. Laser consolidation has also shown promise in developing parts with complex internal features. This capability has been demonstrated in manufacturing structural parts for the Advanced Robotics Mechatronic Systems project, supported by the Canadian Space Agency. Laser consolidation is highly developed and is being licensed to a number of aerospace and defense companies. Researchers are currently working on improving manufacturing times and attempting to reduce the costs associated with the technology. 3D Scanning: An Enabling Technology 3D scanning is one of the technologies enabling additive manufacturing. 3D scanners are often used to accurately measure coordinates of industrial components right from the engine bore hole to the molding pattern. However, with the expansion of additive manufacturing across the globe, it has become important for companies to not only use 3D scanners for inspection but also for digitizing their products. This has led to the growth of various 3D scanning companies, such as Faro Technologies, Konica Minolta, and others. 3D scanning provides a simple way for re-engineering and restoring defective parts. This could be of real benefit to military forces around the world in repairing weapons and replacing vehicle parts. With the need for cheaper and faster response times of defense forces, the convergence of additive manufacturing, 3D scanning, and advanced composites (Figure 2) could take place by the year 2020, revolutionizing military and defense activities. What Governments Are Doing Laser additive manufacturing is turning out to be an exciting development for the military and defense sector. The sector doesn't look for economies of scale — the main priorities are often speed of development and cost. Specialized products often require development of new processes and facilities, which are very capital intensive. Laser-based additive manufacturing has shown the potential to reduce development costs and 10 Electronic Military & Defense ■ www.vertmarkets.com/electronics eliminate the complexity factor. As a result, it becomes possible to manufacture structures of complex shapes and sizes. Several companies that develop lasers (such as TRUMPF, Coherent, and ROFIN) and specialized additive manufacturing service providers (such as EOS, Arcam, and Paramount Industries) are already serving various customers in the military, defense, and aerospace sectors. A U.S. asteroid mining start-up called Deep Space Industries has developed a process that uses 3D printing to print simple parts from metal ore in zero gravity. Imagine the implications of such a technology in the military warfare scenario — where armies could print out needed small parts on demand, fabricated from metal ore deposits found near the battlefield. Figure 2: Expected technology convergence for military needs in 2020 [Source: Frost & Sullivan] The United States is already promoting additive manufacturing for both physical part printing and electronic circuit printing for military use. The recent establishment of the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute (NAMII), to be headed by the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM), is a testament to the perceived importance of the technology. NAMII is composed of 40 industry players ranging from part manufacturers to electronics circuit manufacturers, 9 universities, and 11 nonprofit organizations. Additionally, the European Union (EU) and China are working on establishing a similar research ecosystem for laser additive manufacturing.

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