In Theater Additive Manufacturing of Ceramic Armor for Dismounted Soldiers and Structures

October 4, 2019 the Secretary of the Army Ryan D. McCarthy has approved a new policy on advanced manufacturing that will help the Army secure a competitive edge against near-peer adversaries.  It is  Army Directive 2019-29 “Enabling Readiness and Modernization Through Advanced Manufacturing, also called the Army Advanced Manufacturing Initiative (AAMI). The AAMI is in accordance with the President’s Executive Order 13329 (69 FR 9181) entitled “Encouraging Innovation in Manufacturing”, the Related (Research and Research and Development).  Advanced manufacturing will enable the Army to fabricate armor closer to the point-of-need (PON) and improve soldier survivability against Armor Piercing (AP) projectiles.  The work conducted during the Phase I and II projects and proposed by Goodman Technologies (GT) for the Phase IIS project, has retroactively addressed the AAMI policy.    GT RoboArmor™ fills an Army Critical Gap need by 3D printing and additive manufacturing of lightweight alumina, boron carbide and silicon carbide ceramic matrix nanocomposites armor in form fitting shapes, and at the Point-of-Need.  This is a capability that does not presently exist in industry. "Advanced manufacturing enhances the supply chain and sustainment efforts, both forward in the field and in our maintenance depots, enabling Soldiers to quickly manufacture critical parts and supplies at the point of need," said Gen. Gus Perna, commanding general of U.S. Army Materiel Command.   GT has successfully demonstrated additively manufactured and pressureless sintered alumina armor during Phase I STTR Contract W911NF-17-P-0062.  Materials characterization and ballistic penetration testing performed by an Army Research Laboratory team subsequently demonstrated that the 3D printed alumina (Al2O3) had density and hardness superior to CoorsTek Cap 3 and with ballistic penetration resistance approaching that of the hot-pressed commercial materials. These test results (published and made front cover of International Journal of Applied Ceramic Technology) resulted in a competitive down-selection by ARO/ARL to GT for Phase II STTR Contract W911NF-18-C-0101 for development of boron carbide, silicon carbide, and one-half dozen other nanoceramic composites based on boron and silicon carbide chemistries. The objective of the Phase II and SP2 projects is to show that results for alumina translate to making the preeminent ceramic armor in the world, B4C, using our advanced materials processing.  GT success is the result of partnering with our ARL customer and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, (UH, a Minority Serving Institution and DoD University Affiliated Research Center, UARC),  a Small Business team, and Lockheed Martin Prime System Contractor. GT/UHM will deliver a prototype multi-functional solar-powered trailer with storage battery, and armor production system, and boron carbide armor - a Mobile Modular Armor Production System (MMAPS).