![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5368804.jpg.jpg\")
\u201cWith a 3D printed mold, typically, we can print a mold in 24 hours \u2026 pour into it the next day,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can iterate in days or hours versus months.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The plan is to acquire a second sand printer, according to Martinez.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flexibility and speed of 3D printing in forging and casting allows the arsenal to operate like it always has with \u201ca high mix and low volume\u201d of product, Martinez added. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team has also recently achieved its AS9100 certification; a key step in qualifying parts and processes to aerospace-grade standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll open some doors for aviation parts and we can impact Air Force and Army Aviation readiness,\u201d Lupton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While keeping the forge is expensive, Behn said, it\u2019s also an insurance policy the nation can\u2019t afford to lose. \u201cOur nation needs to have it,\u201d Behn said. \u201cThe question is, what kind of premium are we willing to pay on that insurance plan and how do we make sure it\u2019s functioning, that we have artisans who know how to operate it, and that we\u2019re looking at modernization?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Printing the next fight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In Rock Island\u2019s advanced manufacturing center, rows of 3D printers and robotic arms are laying the groundwork for how the Army will fight and resupply in the years ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army is focused on solving a major problem: how it can scale production of drones in the U.S. to match potential threats proliferating globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are on the cusp of an accelerated sprint on UAS production,\u201d Behn said. \u201c[Army Materiel Command], writ large, is going to produce 1,000 UAVs by the end of this fiscal year, and we will have a portion of that production, the drone bodies, produced here at Rock Island.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army\u2019s stretch goal is to reach a production rate of 10,000 drones a month, or 120,000 per year, by leveraging composite-based additive manufacturing \u2014 known as C-BAM. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The printing system from company Impossible Objects is scheduled to be installed at Rock Island in early 2026. \u201cWe have that printer being installed here starting in, I think, the January\u2013February timeframe,\u201d Behn said. \u201cSo, you know, operational late spring of \u201926 and once it\u2019s operational, its capacity is significant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In parallel, the arsenal is also incorporating subtractive manufacturing techniques that originated as a concept developed through the Army Research Laboratory. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 14 parts that go on an Armored Multipurpose Vehicle that BAE [Systems] produces,\u201d Lupton said. \u201cThese 14 parts are multipiece weldments. Anytime you start welding on ballistic aluminum, the weld joint becomes the weak spot,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe other challenge with that much weld and the parts that large are they want to twist, they want to warp, which is causing issues with their assembly line, fitment issues when they were trying to install the parts, lack of reliability,\u201d Lupton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So instead of welding parts together, the system at Rock Island is able to take large, single blocks of thick aluminum and run them through an automated saw. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll take it into the roughing cell, which has two robotic heads, that machines it from both side, 500 cubic inches of material removal rate, essentially, just picture aluminum chips flying everywhere,\u201d Lupton described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cut piece then moves into a robotic cell to finish up and then is inspected through built-in equipment so it never has to leave the cell. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very much a lights-out type of machine \u2026 it\u2019s pretty rare that you can see an 80-foot-long machining center that\u2019s going to be operated by two individuals,\u201d Lupton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Army plans to be in low-rate production with the equipment in fiscal 2026 and full-rate by FY27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sitting in the back corner of another vast building, is \u201cthe unicorn\u201d in additive manufacturing, Martinez said. The machine is called the jointless hull \u2013 a printer bed that is 20 feet by 30 feet by 12 feet high. It can take on both additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The massive printer began as a research and development effort but the Army is trying to transition it into a production capability, Lupton said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t generate a lot of revenue by doing science experiments, so we want to make parts,\u201d he said. The technology is a game changer in parts production because it would allow forge-like capability made in aluminum in the printer and is even more attractive for small quantity production runs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt could be a huge time savings,\u201d Lupton added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, there is a lot to work through in getting it up and running and since it\u2019s a one-of-a-kind system. It\u2019s not easy to maintain, Lupton said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One recent policy change is also poised to change the game for Rock Island\u2019s modus operandi, which is to produce small quantities of parts that are needed rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In July, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll delegated parts qualification authority to the AMC commander, giving officials there the ability to approve parts much faster than the traditional process would allow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re working right now to figure out the implementation of that authorization,\u201d Behn said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe idea is to speed the process by which we\u2019re able to produce a part, test it, and say \u2018qualified,\u2019 and then have that become a secondary source of supply. We think organically we have the capability to produce OEM-quality parts, and we certainly know there are industry partners who can do that as well,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have to apply a lens of urgency,\u201d Behn said. \u201cNobody wants to stamp off on a part that isn\u2019t safe, but we also know we can\u2019t be excessively risk averse. This is about producing at scale, at speed, to meet the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At Rock Island Arsenal, historic forges meet 3D printing as the Army modernizes its industrial base for faster, high-tech production.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":119977,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[78,160,29,12,14,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3330],"class_list":["post-71062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ausa-digital-show-dailies","category-daily-news-roundup","category-digital-show-dailies","category-industry","category-land","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"BCOCP3Y6M5EB7BLOL36X6XYZBA","arc_canonical_url":"\/land\/2025\/10\/15\/printing-with-sand-how-rock-island-arsenal-keeps-army-gear-humming\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n