“Before a warfighter can print a missile in the field,” he said, “you need quality, controlled processes to fabricate all the component materials: the metallic strongbacks, and the plastic connectors, the semiconductors for processors, and the energetics and propulsion systems. The hard part is then making the connections between these components, as an example, the integrated control circuit that receives the command to light the fuse. At some relatively near-term point you may have to place chips down and interconnect them with printing. Or, in the future, maybe you’ll just print them.”
“We are printing demos of many of the seeker components. And we demonstrated a printed rocket motor. We’ve already printed 80 percent of what would go into a missile” said Danforth.
3D printing of missiles and warheads will allow engineers to utilize complex geometries and patterns that previously could not be produced or manufactured, driving missiles and warheads to be lighter, smaller, more compact and more affordable. It will also enable focused lethality, rendering warheads more effective, thus reducing collateral damage risk.
