Navy Takes 3D Printer to Sea During RIMPAC Exercise.

• Author: Carberry, Sean
• Position: Best of the Web

ABOARD THE USS ESSEX--A Navy ship took an opportunity during the recent Rim of the Pacific exercise to test a 3D printer while at sea.

The USS Essex is the first U.S. Navy ship to sail with a 3D printer on board, and crew members put the Xerox ElemX liquid metal printer through its paces at the U.S. Navy-led RIMPAC exercise in Southern California and Hawaii.

"The 3D printer adds a lot of value to shipboard use and aviation," said Lt. Cmdr. Nicholas Batista.

For example, common items like handles that open and close valves or wrenches for fire hoses wear out or go missing.

"And when you order it now--we're on the ship, we're on the ocean--parts aren't easily accessible. We now have a machine that actually fabricates this on site to increase our overall material readiness," he said.

"The military supply chain is among the most complex in the world and... sailors can now bypass that complexity and print parts when and where they need them," said Tali Rosman, general manager of Xerox Elem Additive Solutions, in a company press release.

The printer, which has been on the market since February 2021, uses aluminum wire rather than powder, which Xerox said makes it safer and eliminates the need for protective gear when operating the printer.

The company is touting it as "the ideal option for spares, repairs and low-volume production parts."

The printer can fabricate parts in a matter of minutes or hours that could take months to obtain through the current process, Batista said. And they can make alterations, like adding location information into a wrench indicating where it belongs, "so we can reduce that risk of people taking it."

While the sailors using the printer are excited by the potential, for now there are limitations or tradeoffs that will have to be addressed before there is widespread adoption on ships. One is the Xerox printer only works with aluminum, and many of the parts on the ship or the aircraft they service are steel, alloys, or polymers, Batista said.

For the printer to withstand the rigors of life at sea, it is...