As the 3D printed ghost gun incident continues to become a hot topic in the industry, the rise of the next wave of 3D printed guns has begun.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is increasingly interested in using additive manufacturing technology to produce explosives. Recently, a new public project in the field of military research and development has attracted wide attention. A team from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Headquarters (NSWC IHD) in Maryland demonstrated for the first time how a bomb with a 3D printed cross. section carried out in an arena test, the results are encouraging.
Arena testing is a military exercise designed to maximize the collection of relevant data by testing explosives in a controlled environment. The test took place at Fort Walker, Virginia, where the NSWC IHD Explosive and Incendiary Technologies Division manually loaded C4 explosives into bomb boxes 3D printed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), then blew them up. Explosives and monitor test results.
Post-test evaluations show that the preliminary results are rather positive. Although further verification is needed, Mearns said: “The current data shows there is no reason to stop. We see areas where the model needs to be adjusted.” It also demonstrated unexpected benefits, such as improved explosion physics and bomb fragmentation.
In addition to bomb performance, NSWC IHD is also exploring the potential of 3D printed bombs, particularly the benefits in production speed and cost. In the test conducted at Fort Walker, the cost of a bomb made using 3D printing technology was three times lower than traditional methods and the production cycle was significantly shortened. The advance comes at a time when the U.S. Navy is facing a surge in demand for munitions and a fragile supply chain that it has not faced in years.
“Digital transformation will drive a new Department of Defense supply chain for weapons manufacturing, which will significantly improve supply chain resilience,” Mearns said. He added: “With this technology we can not only make it faster and cheaper. The Navy’s only publicly funded arsenal, Indian Head has the unique advantage of producing bombs locally and producing better weapons.
Although 3D printing is still in the early stages of development in the field of high-precision weapons, the potential of this technology is increasingly evident. In combination with other advanced manufacturing methods, the Navy and DoD will continue to advance technological innovation to accelerate production and reduce costs. Admiral Lisa Franchetti, Chief of Naval Operations, said: “Innovative advancements on the battlefield are profoundly changing the way war is fought. »
