Essentium demonstrates additive manufacturing capabilities to enhance the U.S Navy’s Maintenance Efficiency at REPTX

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Essentium has announced its initial participation in the U.S. Navy’s Repair Technology Exercise (REPTX) at Port Hueneme, California.

AT REPTX, Essentium demonstrated to government, academia, and industry participants the viability and efficacy of its additive manufacturing (AM) solutions to expand the Navy’s ability to perform expeditionary maintenance operations.

Members of the Essentium team joined over 50 naval, academia, and industry participants in a two-week training exercise focused on bringing innovative technologies together to solve U.S. Navy maintenance challenges as part of ANTX-Coastal Trident 2022.

The Essentium team and other REPTX participants focused on applying additive manufacturing, robotics and unmanned systems, augmented reality, surface preparation and repair, communication, and data connectivity in a series of real-world based scenarios organised by the United States Navy. 

Essentium states that each scenario that was part of the exercise included a variety of industry 4.0 technologies that challenged participants to collaboratively solve maintenance problems aboard the U.S. Navy’s Self Defense Test Ship within a given time.

“The opportunity to work directly with Sailors offered amazing insight into how additive manufacturing can benefit the future of digital manufacturing within the Navy,” explained Zach Burhop, Applications Engineer III, Essentium. “The unique environment of a Navy ship showcased the need for a deployable digital manufacturing solution that can address the wide diversity of part needs both at port and when under way.”

Essentium demonstrated a modified Essentium 280i HSE 3D printer that had been augmented by field deployable features as part of existing efforts ongoing with the U.S. National Guard Bureau and U.S. Air Force. National Guard members encouraged participation in the Navy demonstration as an exercise in providing joint capability for future 3D printing endeavours. 

“Essentium is committed to exploration at the edge of additive manufacturing and is grateful to have found such amazing partners in ARCWERX, the Air Force Rapid Sustainment Office, and now the U.S. Navy to do so,” said Elisa Teipel, Ph.D., Essentium Chief Technology Officer, Essentium.

Essentium recently entered a partnership with Braskem to unlock sustainable additive manufacturing at scale with polyolefin materials.