The DoD is interested in 'point of need' manufacturing as a means of being able to produce parts ?on-demand? in extreme environments such as on a forward operating base, or on a ship, to increase our operational readiness, and reduce our huge military logistics tail. Additionally, research is being performed to determine whether recycled, reclaimed and/or indigenous materials can be utilized as feedstock for these components. However, there are technical challenges that need to be overcome to fully achieve this capability in the future. One such challenge is part quality, and whether such parts can provide a true replacement for standard parts. This brief will discuss this and other challenges in more detail, and will outline the various related on-going efforts at the Army Research Laboratory.
