July 19, 2026: The American Navy is unable to build the number of ships it needs because nationwide capacity to produce key warship components is limited. Forty years ago, there were some 2,000 metal casting and forging businesses in America creating hundreds of different valves, fittings, and other hull components. Currently, there are far fewer such suppliers, and the Navy has been forced to investigate new technologies.

Three years ago, the Navy created AMCOE/Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence to develop and standardize additive-manufactured parts so a database could be built. This would enable manufacturing firms throughout the nation to access a database of parts a 3-D printer could handle. This capability enables the Navy to produce Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and Virginia-class submarines on time and in the required quantities.

For over a decade, the Navy has been using 3D parts printers to quickly fabricate metal replacement parts for many of the systems on the ships, including aircraft, weapons, and vehicles. There are already 3D printers for plastic parts, but 3D printers for metal components have been around for a while, and there are computer specification files for enough aluminum parts to make this 3D printer worth having on board. The Navy 3D printer can handle aluminum components up to 25cm by 25cm. In the last century, warships have had limited capability to fabricate metal parts and even less space to store spare parts. Most of the parts are common hardware items that require no manufacturer's license to duplicate.

This 3D printer tech got a lot of publicity in the last few years when it became known that SpaceX rapidly developed more effective, cheaper rockets and satellite launchers using 3D printers. SpaceX inspired European countries, which had already developed some of the tech SpaceX used to build its novel rockets and SLV/Space Launch Vehicles. One of these techs was 3D printing metal components for rocket engines and other major SLV components that are needed in small quantities. Using traditional manufacturing methods like forging, machining, and stamping metal is time-consuming and very expensive for small quantities. Change has been coming since the 1980s, when the concept of 3D printing tech arrived. Soon it became clear that this tech would eventually evolve to the point where it could handle metal components and build complex objects with a 3D device. For manufacturers, this would be a major revolution for anyone needing small numbers of complex systems or developing prototypes for testing and further refinement. Spacecraft developers and manufacturers were among the first to make very visible use of this new technology. The first decade of the 21st Century saw the emergence of more effective 3D printers capable of printing metal parts of varying sizes and complexity. It was only a matter of time before the military adopted this new generation of 3D printer technology.

The U.S. Army pioneered this approach back in 2003 with the establishment of a Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH), and in 2013 MPH added 3D printers. By 2016, SOCOM/Special Operations Command noted that users, including some SOCOM personnel, were designing their own new parts and using MPHs to build them for immediate testing. A growing percentage of those new component designs worked, and many became part of the factory-made systems. Most SOCOM MPH detachments consisted of just a laptop and a 3-D printer for non-metal parts. The 3D printer for metal parts was bulkier and much more expensive, and initially fewer of them were out in the field.

Meanwhile, other nations were adopting these technologies. The Royal Navy adopted the concept of 3D printing for its warships in 2015, as had the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. Meanwhile, this 3D printer approach had been adopted by many companies that provided field support for expensive and complex equipment. It was easy and inexpensive to equip field support teams with a 3D printer capable of quickly producing thousands of plastic and metal parts for aircraft, ships, generators, electronics, vehicles, and so on.

It took the American army a decade to develop and deploy second and third generations of MPH. The 2013 version, called Expeditionary Lab or Ex Lab, was more compact and relied more on 3-D printers and operators trained to help users come up with designs for components that don’t yet exist. It was often the case that troops discovered the need for a new component or improved replacement part for their equipment. In the past, this request often had to go back to the original factory for development and manufacturing. But with the software and equipment available now, as well as satellite data links to factories, it is possible to get this work done quickly in the combat zone. Thus, the new name is essentially MPH 3.0.

MPH was developed when the Army realized that the easiest and quickest way to get the many rarely requested, but vital replacement parts to the troops was to manufacture them in the combat zone. After September 11, 2001, this led to the construction of a portable parts fabrication system that fits into a standard 8x8x20-foot shipping container. The original version used two containers, but smaller equipment and more powerful computers eventually made it possible to use one container. By 2010, there were four MPH systems in service, two of them in Afghanistan. Over the next few years, two more were built, for under $2 million each. In the first decade of use, MPHs manufactured over 150,000 parts on the spot, saving time, shipping costs, and aggravation for troops who needed them. This saved days or weeks that would otherwise be spent obtaining the part from the manufacturer. The MPH part is usually much cheaper because of air freight and manufacturer markups that cover the cost of maintaining the part in inventory. MPH 2.0 had a 3D part builder that used metal dust and a laser to fabricate parts.

SOCOM built its own, more ambitious, version of MPH in 2009. This was the Mobile Technology Complex, or MTC, that could fix more complex and exotic gear, which SOCOM has a lot of. MTC could modify its special gear or even create something new. SOCOM sent most of its MTCs to Afghanistan to assess how effective they would be at improving equipment readiness, modifying existing gear, and building new items on the spot. The MTC was modified with some new gear and a version of MPH 2.0. This led to Ex Labs.

The original key to making this system work was the availability of computer-controlled machine tools, which could turn a block of the appropriate metal into the required part. Although these tools had existed for decades, the major breakthrough came in the 1980s with PC-based CAD software, which made it faster to design and fabricate parts. A CAD file can guide computer-controlled tools to produce a part automatically. The MPH uses a high-speed satellite link to retrieve CAD files, many of which are already stored in the system. MPH staff often improve parts based on damaged components they inspect and feedback from troops in the field.

The computer-controlled machine tools were eventually complemented, and now often replaced, by 3D printers that can make all manner of metal parts. Aircraft and SpaceX spaceship manufacturers used this equipment on a large scale to build prototypes and items, such as satellite launchers and transport vehicles that bring supplies and people to the International Space Station. The metal 3D printers now come in a wide range of sizes and capabilities. Some never leave the factory, but the more portable ones are now common in field service offices and with the military.

All these instant parts builder operations tended to be staffed and open 24/7. The demand for critical parts ran round the clock in a combat zone, and it was often a matter of life or death to get them as quickly as possible. This has eliminated many of the spare-parts crises in which large quantities of equipment in a combat zone would be unavailable because a few parts were found to wear out more quickly than anticipated. When that sort of thing happens now, the MPH can get parts to the troops quickly, while the factory is alerted to produce more and airfreight them to the combat zone as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, military use of this technology led to the concept of building entire systems on demand with 3D printers; either that or extensive modifications for existing equipment. One application involved 3D-printed drones that cost about $1,000 but used commercial components such as batteries, electric motors, cameras, and wireless comms. The airframe is 3D-printed on demand at the battalion and brigade levels. The troops would still have a similar Raven drone, with its longer duration, better sensors, and encrypted comms. But for most combat zone needs, the 3D drones built back at battalion or brigade headquarters as needed would get the job done. These weigh less than a kilogram, have a 20-minute endurance and a range of about 3 kilometers. For most combat situations, that is sufficient. A smartphone or tablet can be used as a controller. The 3D printers required are small and use plastic to create replacement parts on demand for damaged drones, as well as a long list of parts for other equipment in the battalion. A 3D printer would not be added to battalion or brigade equipment just to make drones, but to instantly supply a long list of plastic replacement parts.