The U.S. Army’s Engineer Research and Development Center has selected Eaton and the University of Toledo to jointly study the feasibility of using large format 3D printing machines to produce high-strength engineering components.
The power management company said Friday it will perform work under the Intelligent and Resilient Infrastructure effort to help the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers replace damaged parts faster.
The effort will focus on metal additive manufacturing technology that uses large format polymers and includes sensing features for health monitoring and predictive maintenance.
“As the Corps and the nation tackle the grand challenge of aging infrastructure, the new materials, manufacturing processes and health monitoring technologies developed under this effort will support modernization of our infrastructure,” said Robert Moser, senior scientific technical manager at ERDC.
Eaton runs an additive manufacturing Center of Excellence in Southfield, Michigan, to help government and commercial customers to deliver 3D printing applications.