Additive manufacturing (AM) specialist Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) has joined armour manufacturer and vehicle integrator NP Aerospace in working on Project Tampa: the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) initiative to exploit the potential of introducing AM, otherwise known as 3D printing, into its supply chain, NP Aerospace announced on 12 September 2024.
Project Tampa is a GBP 5 million (EUR 5.93 million) initiative designed to explore how AM can be used to print parts for weapons and other military equipment on demand, thus reducing excessive lead times for parts to be delivered. The technology also has the potential to improve platform availability by 3D printing obsolete parts.
With expertise developed across multiple sectors such as space, aerospace, motorsport and medical application, DMC is a leading exponent of AM, while NP Aerospace has a long heritage of supplying military vehicles and support solutions to the UK MoD.
“Underpinned by an ethos of truly creative engineering and the pursuit of perfection, DMC applies a holistic approach to the additive manufacturing process and is pushing the boundaries of possibility while ensuring full quality assurance with AS9100 certification and PPAP (Part Production Approval Process) and NPI (New Product Introduction) practices,” NP Aerospace stated in a press release. “Together, DMC and NP Aerospace are rapidly innovating, using the additive manufacturing process in both metal and polymer parts, to help UK defence resolve longstanding challenges, meet operational demand, secure the supply chain and combat supply chain obsolescence.”
As an example of its capabilities, DMC has already shown it can rapidly produce parts for the rear step and door latch assemblies for the British Army’s Mastiff and Ridgback vehicles. The future concept being explored by Project Tampa also includes the ability to securely transfer the digital files for components to a forward-deployed AM production facility to avoid the traditional delays in requesting and receiving spare parts.
“Project Tampa has opened the door to allow us to fully explore the incredible benefits that can be achieved by utilising the additive manufacturing processes,” David Wilson, director of engineering for NP Aerospace Vehicle Systems, Services and Spares, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “It has been very rewarding working with DMC, the experts in the field, who not only have the engineering acumen to solve complex problems alongside NP Aerospace engineers, but also have the necessary certification and accreditation to provide essential quality assurance, critical to defence.”
Kieron Salter, DMC’s CEO, added, “We are very proud to be supporting NP Aerospace, and many others across the UK defence industry, by sharing our vast experience and expertise in the additive manufacturing process gained from the most demanding of sectors such as Formula 1, aerospace and space. We pride ourselves at DMC in being more than a traditional ‘build to print’ supplier, although production work is always our end goal. We also provide a holistic approach to additive manufacturing, being creative and innovative in our engineering, that leads to the final production solution. Hence, DMC delivers truly pioneering solutions for businesses operating at the forefront of their industry.”
