Additive Manufacturing: The Next Generation of 3D Printing (S1E49)

By now, everyone has seen 3D printers in movies or in the news. Today’s interview puts work boots on 3D printing: it will show you the incredible range of technology and the practical applications for the federal government.

Megan Kreiger stuns the listeners with her discussion about 3D printing a bridge. They don’t use a tabletop printer – the printer they use is twenty feet by forty feet! Just to show the flexibility that is offered with today’s equipment, James Zunio also mentions the ability to print a grenade launcher. In addition to the variable kinds of products 3D printing offers, we learn 3D technology can print with polymers and metals.

James Zunio puts his twenty years of experience in technology to show the practical applications of 3D printing for the federal government. One application is in the field, which some call expeditionary application. A warfighter may be in a geographic situation where getting parts is prohibitively expensive. A 3D printer can bridge that gap by providing a spare part manufactured on-site.

Tony Higgins, from Markforged, expands on the definition of additive manufacturing. The strict definition refers to 3D printing, but the types of materials available today can increase the strength and flexibility of many manufactured components. He thinks that in the future, 3D printing will become just another option for a manufacturer, especially when the military needs a ruggedized component.

The federal government is getting serious about additive manufacturing by encouraging communities throughout the federal space to share ideas and innovation with 3D printing. In fact, the DoD has recently approved  $25 million in grants under defense manufacturing community support program.

To view this webinar: Additive Manufacturing: The Next Generation of 3-D Printing.

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