3D printing on the front lines

In the not too distant future, the U.S. Air Force could be adding 3D printers to their requisitions. The October 2016 issue of DEVELOP3D magazine features a piece on a U.S. Air Force Academy (USAFA) cadet capstone class project that aims to take 3D printing to the front lines to manufacture made-to-order water charges used to disable explosive devices.

AU speaker and former Associate Professor of Engineering at the USAFA, Lt. Colonel Patrick Suermann, says, “These charges are highly regulated supplies, but they’re expendable—they only get used once. By making them as they need them, they don’t have to fly in additional supplies every time one is used. It can save a lot of time, money, and hassle.”

It’s another exciting example of Autodesk users pushing the envelope and changing the world. To read the full article, you can download a PDF of the October 2016 issue at Develop3D.com.

Be sure to check out Suermann’s AU 2016 class too—watch it anytime at AU online:

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