The U.S. Marine Corps Systems Command partnered with U.S. Fleet Marine Forces and other organizations to assess the performance of additive printed impellers on M1A1 Abrams tanks. The service branch said Thursday it plans to utilize the impellers to replace tank components in the event of delayed parts deliveries.
The command teamed up with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory to validate and create a 100-page technical data package for the impellers.
“We plan to continue to collect operational hours on three 3D-printed impellers to better assess the long-term reliability of the part,” said Joseph Burns, technical lead for the command’s advanced manufacturing operations cell.
The Marine Corps will test, evaluate and certify the impellers after completing the technical data package. The impellers work to maintain the clean state of tank filters through the removal of dust from the engines.
