3D Printing Saves Fort Drum’s 10th Mountain Division $500,000 in One Year

The US Army’s 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, located in northern New York, will open a new innovation lab on October 3rd, largely a reflection of the success that the division’s 10th Brigade Support Battalion has seen with additive manufacturing (AM). According to a story in Spectrum News 1 Rochester, the battalion has already saved around $500,000 on procurement in FY 2024 from 3D printing replacement parts.

One particularly notable use-case for the battalion has been vents for portable equipment containers, necessary to prevent the buildup of mold. The vents break frequently and replacements can’t be ordered, which made them a perfect candidate for 3D printing.

Specialist James Martin of the 10th Brigade Support Battalion told Spectrum News, “A lot of the parts that the Army needs, they can’t get them quite in the time that they need them. So, they come to us. We can 3D print [the necessary part] and then see if it works, see what needs to change and get a better idea of what we’re going to make.”

Warrant Officer Kevin Ton said, “[3D printing is vital especially] if we are going to be deployed to a hostile environment where it’s just life or death. It’s good for commanders and higher-ups to know that we down here at the maintenance facility are able to fabricate things that are critically needed.”

Earlier this year at the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) conference in Chicago, a representative of the US military told attendees, “The 3D printing industry would probably be dead in the water if it weren’t for the US government.” Even as the US military commits to more and more ambitious, higher-value AM projects, some of the biggest AM victories for American armed forces continue to be seemingly mundane — but no less indispensable — components, like equipment container vents.

For instance, one of my favorite military use-cases from the last couple of years was a US Navy Machinist’s Mate’s invention of a new tool used for replacing motors on the MK Phalanx Close-in Weapons System (CIWS). The $30-40 aluminum part drastically simplified the maintenance process, saving several hours of work for every motor that has to be replaced.

At the same time, these day-to-day victories should be instrumental in pushing the military to continue to go bolder with its future plans for AM. As DoD increases its ability to truly quantify the gains unlocked by AM — i.e., $500,000 saved in one fiscal year by one division — the department can make its long-term targets for AM more tangible, and gradually direct digital manufacturing technologies towards their most cost-effective applications.

Images courtesy of Spectrum News 1