PATUXENT RIVER, Md. –
The Naval Aviation School for Additive Manufacturing (NASAM) is fostering collaboration across forces to ensure lethality and readiness wherever warfighters need it.
Recently, two U.S. Army soldiers used the skills they learned at NASAM to produce critical parts while deployed in support of Combined Joint Task Force–Operation Inherent Resolve.
Spc. James Martin and Spc. Harry Vo, soldiers from the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division’s Allied Trades Team (Bravo Company, 10th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team), recently applied their NASAM training to address critical equipment needs during deployment.
When Task Force Wolverine experienced limitations with their Starshield communications system because of a lack of an antenna mount for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles, Martin and Vo designed and 3D-printed a mounting bracket that met all operational requirements. Their solution provided favorable antenna positioning, robust protection and reduced damage risk while maintaining full functionality of the vehicle’s emergency hatch and turret and maximizing connectivity.
Martin and Vo produced the prototype using acrylonitrile styrene acrylate, a highly durable polymer with robust UV and heat resistance. Though this specific material was not covered in their NASAM training, the foundational knowledge they learned at the school helped them adapt to using different systems and materials.
Their additive manufacturing (AM) solution also reduced manufacturing time and costs dramatically.
“This successful cross-service training demonstrates how AM capabilities can provide immediate solutions to operational challenges across the Department of Defense,” said Theodore Gronda, Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) AM program manager. “When supply chains can’t deliver, AM delivers.”
While primarily established for Navy and Marine Corps personnel, NASAM accommodates students from other military branches occasionally. The six-week program, hosted by the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Danville, Virginia, provides foundational skills in AM that train maintenance personnel to produce supply-chain-gapped parts on site and on demand.
“AM’s mission is to improve operational readiness and lethality,” said Capt. Alexander Peabody, senior fleet liaison for NAVAIR AM. “The reality is that even during peacetime, supply chain disruptions necessitate the ability to reverse engineer or redesign components to maintain the operational capability of ships and aircraft.”
NASAM began with a pilot cohort of 12 students in February 2024 and continues to train military maintenance personnel in AM technologies.
For more information on NASAM, visit
https://www.ialr.org/nasam/.
From the NAVAIR Additive Manufacturing Program Office. 