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PHOTO: AFP
US Navy Experimental Unit in Norfolk began to produce spare parts for ships using new technology. Thanks to the use of 3D printers, ships are becoming kind of floating factories. This method will allow sailors not to wait for the right ones. parts from the mainland, and produce them directly on the ship, writes RT. The division consists of 15 officers, their main task is adaptation of new technologies for military needs. “It will be real a solution for simple sailors who suddenly need spare parts, ” – told one of the project participants, Lieutenant Ben Colman. On the production of one part, he said, it takes about five hours. The technology will allow for ship repair using parts that will literally be cut from improvised materials. The Navy’s leadership refers to innovation positively and sets aside impressive experiments amount. Senior officers plan to prepare soon list of parts to be mastered by production factories. “Tests should be completed by the end of this year. Already Now the military is faced with some problems. At first, printers take up a lot of space, and their work requires a lot of energy. Secondly, the rights to manufacture parts belong to American shipyards. The latter are unlikely to go meet and agree to provide the fleet with drawings of parts, for the production of which they annually receive billions of dollars.
Ivan UKHOV
