Why Additive Manufacturing for the Military & Defense Applications?

Above all else, the speed and on-demand nature of additive manufacturing (AM) makes it appealing to the military/defense sector, who need to get parts into the hands of warfighters as quickly as possible. Because the nature of the additive manufacturing process allows for de-localization, parts can be created more covertly. Plus, additive manufacturing minimizes the need to store spare parts for large pieces of equipment, as accurate and detailed parts can be developed more or less on demand. End-to-end workflow digitization enables traceability, which is paramount to ensuring the quality and safety of parts in this sector.

Ultimately, connecting and streamlining the digital thread from the design stage through to post-printing enables an efficient experience that ensures high part quality, lower lead times, and heightened repeatability/consistency for military applications.

We’re Unleashing the Full Potential of Military Additive Manufacturing

PostProcess Technologies helps customers get accurate parts to the front lines faster. We are the internationally renowned leader and pioneer of automated post-printing. Using patented and patent-pending approaches, PostProcess solutions effectively overcome the post-printing bottleneck for military applications with a complete blend of proprietary software, hardware, and exclusive chemistry, enabling complete end-to-end digitalization in additive manufacturing for military and defense applications.

AM Post-Printing for Military Applications

FDM Support Removal
Reliable for rapid prototyping and tooling as well as printing larger, lightweight components, FDM is a go-to print technology for the defense sector, among others. While FDM support removal often slows down the otherwise fast manufacturing process, PostProcess Volumetric Velocity Dispersion (VVD) solutions use software intelligence to effectively post-print large prototyping batches or parts, reducing support removal processing times by over 50% (compared to submersible tank systems).

Resin Removal
Though SLA workflows are reliable for highly complex prints and accuracy, traditional resin removal processes are notoriously cumbersome and hazardous. An instrumental part of PostProcess’s automated resin removal solutions is a proprietary, user-friendly detergent that can finish 5x as many parts as IPA before reaching saturation. These solutions have been proven to enable safer, faster resin-based workflows with less part breakage/warpage.

Metal Surface Finishing

Many AM users turn to the technology to create sturdy yet intricately designed metal parts. The traditional metal surface finishing techniques that are often used from subtractive manufacturing can result in burrs, warpage, or even scrapped parts, which is an expensive and time consuming proposition. PostProcess’s automated metal surface finishing techniques are instrumental in achieving ideal Ra values on metal parts with minimal breakage, regardless of complexities and sizes.