The Marines 3D-Printed a Rocket Launcher Shelter in 36 Hours
The Marine Corps recently tested a 3D printer capable of fabricating entire buildings within hours.
The shelter was built to accommodate a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system.
3D printing promises stronger, more durable structures for a more mobile Marine Corps.
The U.S. Marines recently tested a 3D printer capable of constructing entire buildings with quick-drying concrete. In just 36 hours, ICON's Vulcan 3D printer whipped up a concrete structure that can hold a HIMARS truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher system.
The result is a durable structure that can be built virtually anywhere the Marines deploy, sheltering personnel, vehicles, and supplies from the weather. See the printer in action here:
The Vulcan is a 3,800-pound beast that's designed to spray layers of proprietary Lavacrete, which is a fast-curing polymer concrete that can be ready for use as soon as 12 to 24 hours after printing. Lavacrete has a strength rating of 6,000 pounds per square inch (psi).
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Concrete with a psi rating of 5,000 or above is used when “high impact resistances, very low wear rates, or extreme conditions are expected.” Plus, 6,000-psi concrete blocks radiation, leading to its use in the construction of nuclear power plants.
The Vulcan printer works by spraying down layers of the Lavacrete that harden into horizontal cross-sections of the building. Engineers can then lift the cross-sections upright and assemble them into a complete building. The process is akin to building a salami stick out of individually made slices.
In a recent test at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in southern California, the Marines built a shelter for a M142 HIMARS multiple launch rocket system in just a day and half. The Marines printed four 26-by-13-by-15-foot arches, then assembled them together to create a single building.
Once the building was complete, the Marines rolled the truck-mounted weapon system inside for a fit check. The result was a weatherproof shelter that can protect Marines and their equipment from the elements, including tropical weather, enemy weapons fire, and even radiation.
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The Vulcan, which operators control with a tablet, can print an 8.5-by-28-foot structure at a rate of 5 to 7 inches a second. It can print structures up to 2,000 square feet and has been used to build complete houses in the U.S. and Mexico. The Vulcan is fed by ICON’s Magma material delivery system, which mixes the Lavacrete ingredients to produce a building material tuned to temperature, altitude, and humidity.
A system like Vulcan is right up the alley of the new, leaner Marine Corps. The Marine Corps is in the midst of a reorganization designed with China in mind, reorienting from a second land army to an island-hopping force capable of operating in the South China Sea. Once the Marines seize an island from the enemy, they'll have to dig in to repel enemy air, missile, and ground counterattacks.
A shelter made of Lavacrete could protect Marine Corps forces from artillery, rocket, and missile barrages in ways wooden structures and trenches can’t. Vulcan could also conceivably be used to build fortifications, including aircraft shelters, bunkers, and revetments to store ordnance, supplies, and protect weapon systems.
The Marines’ experiment is part of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) Construction Scale Additive Manufacturing effort.
"DIU's role is to accelerate commercial technology into the Department of Defense and with this demo, a technology that empowers military personnel to operate robotic systems to construct buildings and fortifications, as well as bridges, culverts, and anti-vehicle obstacles. After this successful demonstration, we will be working to scale this technology across the Department to the other Services," said Jeremiah Diacogiannis, DIU program manager.
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