By now we’ve seen all sorts of 3D printed weapons, from guns to bombs, as many experts note that weapons applications will continue to develop and need to be understood. Now, a division of the US Marine Corps has developed small 3D printed explosives.
The EOD Marines are working on several potential designs for the 3D printed containers that could potentially be used in the field as real explosives.
Staff Sergeant Jared Green, the EOD Team Leader, explained, “Once everybody is comfortable with the material and knows how to utilise it, it opens up the possibility of being able to design something and print it on the spot, something that you can’t buy and doesn’t even exist.”
SSgt Green explained in a Marines TV video, taken by Sgt Takoune H. Norasingh, that the Marines can use 3D printing technology to create things, like the 3D printed explosives container, literally overnight, or use their imaginations to develop objects that aren’t readily available. He also said that there are plenty of resources available online to find and download 3D printable files.
3D printing technology also allows soldiers to quickly and easily create 3D printed parts on the go wherever they are, rather than having to lug around spare parts. At the moment, there are several 3D printers being actively used in combat zones in the Middle East, and the benefits of having an on-demand mini factory in the field are numerous.
In the video, which demonstrates the 3D printing and testing process of the explosives and posted by the US Department of Defense (DoD), the EOD Marines placed their 3D printed explosive containers on a sheet of metal in a successful live exercise.“All the charges worked, it did what we wanted them to do and we were able to print them and make them in less than 24 hours,” SSgt Green said.
These small 3D printed explosives could pave the way for the military to use the technology in order to develop the next generation of warfare weaponry.
You can check out the video of the explosives being 3D printed and tested below:
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[Sources: Marines TV, International Business Times / Images: DoD]