Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing, including emerging “3D printing” technologies, is booming. Last year an astronaut on the International Space Station used a 3D printer to make a socket wrench in space, hinting at a future when digital code will replace the need to launch specialized tools into orbit. Here on Earth, the Navy is considering applications for additive manufacturing aboard ships, and a commercial aircraft engine company recently announced its first FAA-approved 3D-printed part.

For millennia, materials have mattered—so much so that entire eras have been named for them. From the Stone Age to the Bronze Age to the Iron Age and beyond, breakthroughs in materials have defined what was technologically possible and fueled revolutions in fields as diverse as electronics, construction and medicine. Today, DARPA is pursuing the next big advances in this fundamentally important domain.

Uncertainties in materials and component manufacturing processes are a primary cause of cost escalation and delay during the development, testing and early production of defense systems. In addition, fielded military platforms may have unanticipated performance problems, despite large investment and extensive testing of their key components and subassemblies. These uncertainties and performance problems are often the result of the random variations and non-uniform scaling of manufacturing processes. These challenges, in turn, lead to counterproductive resistance to adoption of new, innovative manufacturing technologies that could offer better results.

Military platforms and structures, such as vehicles, ships, aircraft and buildings, must withstand transient shock, vibrations and other structural loads in a variety of demanding operational environments. These frequent and varying transient loads are often transmitted to occupants, which can degrade warfighters’ performance by creating discomfort and injuries. In addition, varying loads can lead to shortened service life for the military platforms, as well as the equipment inside. Currently, structures designed to achieve high stiffness for static loads (dead weight) typically can’t adapt to or dampen dynamic loads well. Conversely, structures designed for high damping do not carry conventional loads as efficiently.