3-D Printing Drones for the Battlefield

Recently, Army Research Labratory engineers have performed testing with an unmanned aircraft created through additive manufacturing. They have developed a new on-demand 3D printing system that can produce these drones in 24 hours or less. After initially thought to have too long of a production time, project leaders have found that the timing couldn’t be more seamless with the mission planning conducted by soldiers.

Armed with software that enables the implementation of mission plans, these aerial devices can now be deployed on missions rather than risking endangerment of soldiers. The engineers found that coupling drones with 3D printing was an incredibly organic solution. Experts are continuously working to perfect some design functions in the products such as, noise, speed, range and ability. Despite this minor flaws, these 3D printed drones are revolutionizing Army missions. The support these drones can bring to soldiers provides for some great assistance on the battlefield. Although still premature, this recent breakthrough in 3D printing technology has the potential to reshape military actions. The ability to produce mission-specific, unmanned drones that are able to be programmed and enhanced is a groundbreaking advancement with an incredibly high ceiling for continued success.

Outside of producing drones via additive manufacturing, the Army is utilizing 3D printing’s technology to create other products such as guns. Much like with the unmanned aircraft, soldiers are now being enabled with the ability to have custom designed firearms created on the fly. These guns can be produced in under a day and can be easily tailored to meet an individual soldiers specifications.