In our lives, many technologies are first born in military use, and then enter the civilian stage, such as nuclear energy technology that we often hear in our daily lives. Since the military supply chain is one of the most complex supply chains in the world, the ability to meet military-level demand levels is of great value to major manufacturers, because it also determines whether the company can satisfy customers’ Flexibility requirements. Xerox recently announced a collaboration with the US Naval Graduate School to jointly research the application of liquid metal 3D printing. As part of the agreement, NPS has installed Xerox ElemX liquid metal 3D printers on its university campus.
Metal prints of Xerox Liquid Metal Additive Manufacturing System
Xerox, which has a background in paper printing, initially entered the 3D printing field as a distributor, with the purpose of "making a roadmap for participation in 3D printing." Xerox acquired Vader Systems, a manufacturer of liquid metal jet 3D printers, in February 2019, and made a major appearance on Formnext later that year. At the exhibition, Xerox demonstrated the development of polymer powder and its multi-nozzle extrusion high-speed FDM system for SLS 3D printers, as well as the liquid metal 3D printing system.
The cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) between Xerox and NPS aims to explore a new method by which Xerox technology can provide the US military with on-demand 3D printing of metal parts and equipment. Through this partnership, NPS students will study novel methods of designing, creating and prototyping using ElemX 3D printers, and expand their manufacturing capabilities at any location.
Xerox ElemX 3D printers use aluminum wire to manufacture end-use parts to meet operational needs and produce reliable replacement parts on demand. According to Todd Lyons, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and vice chairman of the NPS Alumni Association and Foundation, the technology can reduce dependence on the U.S. military’s complex global supply chain, while also providing more costs than traditional manufacturing. Advantage.
The ongoing CRADA between Xerox and NPS will further promote the application of 3D printing in the US military, according to Xerox vice president and general manager Tali Rosman (Tali Rosman), this can also be replicated in many other areas.
He said: "The global supply chain makes aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, and oil and gas industries vulnerable to external risks." "Our goal is to integrate localized 3D printing into their operations, NPS's real-time The feedback provides us with feasible data to continuously improve ElemX."