Photo of the Week: Because No One Should Read Too Much on Fridays

The policy community has given increasing attention to 3D
printing, the process of constructing 3-dimensional objects from a digital
model by layering materials – from polymers to metals – in an additive manufacturing
process. There are myriad applications of 3D printing, from building repair
parts to whole homes. Some, including our colleagues at the Center for Climate
and Security, have written on the promises
of 3D printing to transform global trade and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,
or to make countries more resilient to climate change by making supply chains
less vulnerable to natural disasters.   

The Army’s Rapid Equipping Force (REF) has been using 3D printers
in combat theatres, including Afghanistan, in order to reduce operational
vulnerabilities associated with logistic tails. Last November, Wired Magazine reported that “At Camp Nathan
Smith outside of Kandahar, there’s a 20-foot cargo container loaded with a 3D
printer, a computer-controlled machine for cutting metal, and a couple of
Ph.D.s. It’s one of three REF ‘expeditionary labs’ placed around Afghanistan
that can quickly design and prototype tools for troops on the ground right now.”

In this photo, Army researchers at the Edgewood Chemical
Biological Center experiment with different designs of protective masks for
soldiers. Similar types of equipment, like replacement bolts for soldiers’ rifles, are already being fielded in Afghanistan through the Army’s REF.  

Photo: Courtesy of Tom Faulkner and
RDECOM Public Affairs. 

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