Sustainment — the ongoing maintenance and repair of existing equipment, including replacing worn or damaged parts — represents a major opportunity for 3D printing in military operations. The U.S. Air Force explored what it would take to not only 3D print but validate a replacement part through its Approval Sprints Challenge, a contest held as part of its Advanced Manufacturing Olympics in 2020. Teams were tasked with developing and 3D printing a clamp that holds two hydraulic lines in an F-16 aircraft. The winning entry seen in this episode was developed by Stress Engineering, Origin and nTopology. Despite a dramatic setback, this clamp prevailed due to its innovative material choice and human-centered design, along with a qualification strategy that could be applied to many more replacement parts in the future.
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