The F-35 Lightning II Joint Program Workplace (JPO), accountable for life-cycle administration of the important thing fifth-generation joint strike fighter (JSF) system utilized by the U.S., its allies, and its companions, just lately put in a request to the Naval Air Methods Command (NAVAIR) Fleet Readiness Middle East (FRCE) for 2,000 O-ring set up instruments, a hand device that helps set up rubber seals (O-rings) into exact plane elements with out injury. A two-person workforce from FRCE’s Innovation Lab started attending to the request instantly, beginning by deciding which of the lab’s additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities was greatest suited to the duty.
Jeremy Bunting, Lead Engineer on the Innovation Lab, thought that the O-ring device can be match for digital mild processing (DLP), so he and Ken Murphy, a technician on the lab, printed out a check batch of 20 to be assessed by the F-35 Lightning Assist Workforce’s native representatives, in addition to the JPO. Some changes to the design have been made, the help workforce ran assessments on the batch to make sure they have been mission-ready, and as soon as they have been glad, Bunting and Murphy set to work on the ultimate product.
In lower than two weeks, Bunting and Murphy printed all 2,000 instruments on the Stratasys Origin One DLP machine, which is lower than 10 p.c of the estimated six-month lead time that the job would have taken by way of the normal procurement course of. The Innovation Lab additionally delivered among the instruments on to the Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 14 (MALS-14), FRCE’s neighbor in Cherry Level, North Carolina.
A 3D printed O-ring set up device produced at FRCE’s Innovation Lab utilizing the Stratasys Origin One.
MALS-14 Manufacturing Management Officer Captain Jason Moore instructed NAVAIR, “Some of these efforts result in expeditious capabilities, fast fielding and sustainment, and elevated plane and mission readiness for all warfighters and present the potential of how a extra sturdy [AM] functionality with aerospace purposes can proceed to profit the service. This can be a win-win for FRCE and the end-users.”
Bunting mentioned that the uncooked supplies used on this order have been near your complete 2024 output for the Innovation Lab, explaining, “This job was uncommon due to the amount, however the Innovation Lab does jobs like this day by day. The Innovation Lab exists to be quick-turn and clear up issues, to be very agile with [AM]. So this job was distinctive by way of the amount and the way we have been capable of leverage this newer know-how, however by way of our day-to-day enterprise, it was simply what we do.”
Jeremy Bunting, Lead Engineer on the Innovation Lab.
I don’t assume it’s unreasonable to count on that the amount of this order can even rapidly develop into commonplace for the Innovation Lab and different comparable organizations throughout the Division of Protection (DoD). With each such profitable instance of on-demand manufacturing enabled by AM, the DoD’s logistics help personnel are serving to to construct the argument that increasingly more of the U.S. navy’s procurement wants will be met with AM.
The subsequent massive leap ahead on this long-term trajectory would entail the uptake of DoD’s AM capabilities by related manufacturing operations serving the industrial sphere. That risk grew to become all of the extra real looking with the information just lately that, within the 2026 protection funds, the U.S. Home of Representatives has proposed a Industrial Reserve Manufacturing Community, which might permit the DoD to faucet into extra civilian manufacturing capability for surge demand.
To ensure that such an effort to achieve success, organizations just like the FRCE would want to share greatest practices with certified producers, particularly concerning superior manufacturing processes like AM, on which DoD producers are typically farther forward when in comparison with their civilian counterparts. Plenty of shifting items would have to be synchronized for this potential to develop into a actuality; nevertheless, case research like this one do an awesome deal to assist transfer the needle.
Pictures courtesy of NAVAIR.
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