Jan 8, 2015 | By Alec
The warship Harbin, that has already benefitted from its on-board 3D printer.
Are 3D printers becoming weapons of war? Not quite, though you might almost think so when looking at the high-profile 3D printed weapon stories. Instead, military-purpose tests with 3D printing are currently taking place in China. Specifically, an unknown number of Chinese naval warships have reportedly already been outfitted with a 3D printer.
Now, this concerns military-purpose testing in the broadest sense of the world, as being used by military engineers aboard warships, rather than being used to crank out weapons or bullets. Instead the warships’ repair workshops, that play a crucial role in performing minor repairs in combat situation and safeguarding a ship’s combat effectiveness, now have access to this highly flexible manufacturing technology.
The idea is that this will enable military engineers to quickly repair, produce and replace just about any necessary part even when out on sea. It will mean that they will no longer have to fill the ship with replacements for any part that breaks, while rare malfunctions won’t need to endanger military missions. Chinese warships are equipped with computers, casting equipment, molding machines, 3D printers, as well as aluminium alloy and other metal materials needed for additive manufacturing. 3D design files of all spare parts are preinstalled in the computer. It should, or so military officials hope, greatly improve a ship’s survival probability during times of war.
China has already been pioneering the military capabilities of 3D printing since 2001. Sections of Chinese aircraft have already been designed using 3D printing technology. Military designer Sun Cong, who worked on the J-15 carrier-based fighter, told reporters that 3D printers have also been used to repair aircraft during training flights. Army officials have even suggested that 3D printing technology is also going to be incorporated into the armed forces’ support system.
While only practical experience will show if 3D printing is truly capable of repairing damaged ships in a war zone, the technology has had some practical successes already. Last week, the tooth of a transmission gear on an unnamed ship broke off as the ship was entering the harbour and a new one was quickly and successfully produced in the ship’s micro-processing workshop. Chinese military media also revealed that another ship on its way to the Gulf of Aden, the Harbin, needed to repair a bearing in its diesel engine. The ship, a Type 052D Destroy, was left in the middle of the ocean without a working engine as a result, but its engineering crew quickly printed a new bearing that fitted perfectly. These instances suggest that 3D printing could thus very well be a time, money and potentially even a life-saving technology. While not as accurate, fast or affordable as traditional manufacturing techniques, it could be perfect in a dangerous warzone. Could 3D printers be going to war?
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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"Last week, the tooth of a transmission gear on an unnamed ship broke off as the ship was entering the harbour and a new one was quickly and successfully produced in the ship’s micro-processing workshop. Chinese military media also revealed that another ship on its way to the Gulf of Aden, the Harbin, needed to repair a bearing in its diesel engine. The ship, a Type 052D Destroy, was left in the middle of the ocean without a working engine as a result, but its engineering crew quickly printed a new bearing that fitted perfectly." I call bull**it on this. These applications would be challenging with a full on laser sintering machine, let alone whatever system they have taken to sea. I don't buy this at all. A working diesel bearing? Nope!
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