Additive Manufacturing Potential on United States Coast Guard Cutters for Resilience in the Arctic

The Coast Guard, Navy, NASA, Air Force, Army and commercial shipping industry are interested in the capability of producing parts in remote locations. Opportunities include the reduction of the required replacement parts that must be in stock, and the ability to produce a component for an unforeseen casualty. New mission enhancing systems may also be designed at a central location, transmitted to a cutter, and produced at sea. Additive manufacturing was evaluated at sea. A desktop 3D printer was extensively utilized during Arctic West Summer (AWS) 2015 aboard the icebreaker USCGC HEALY using the plastic PLA (Polylactic Acid). Of particular interest, is the reduction of stock material and print time that would be required. Optimization software was brought onboard to accomplish this goal. In a tiller assembly for a small boat, the largest component required over 21 hours to print. Optimization software was applied to this piece, not only reducing the required material, but the print time to about 4 hours. Critical needs that were addressed and solved underway with a plastic printer included designing and fabricating a replacement float to put the galley's dishwasher online, a set of foot orthotics for a crew member, a tiller assembly for an inflatable boat, and a lens shield for the Wave Glider. No effects on the printed models were noticed due to USCGC HEALY's motion during rough seas or ice breaking. Some models that were built flat on the build plate did exhibit warping and delamination.