{"id":10457,"date":"2025-04-17T18:47:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T18:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=10457"},"modified":"2025-04-25T18:47:22","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T18:47:22","slug":"3d-printing-the-resilient-infrastructure-of-tomorrow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2025\/04\/17\/3d-printing-the-resilient-infrastructure-of-tomorrow\/","title":{"rendered":"3D Printing the Resilient Infrastructure of Tomorrow"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The 175th CES at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Maryland, is at the forefront of innovation in developing an Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer to rapidly build fortified infrastructure that supports warfighters and sustains operations in contested environments. As modern warfare evolves and global logistics grow more contested, the U.S. Air Force faces mounting challenges in building and sustaining critical infrastructure in dynamic, high-risk environments. For Air Force Civil Engineers, meeting these challenges requires agile, deployable solutions like the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer that enhance operational effectiveness and ensure mission success. (Courtesy of 175th CES\/Maj. Brian Vickers)<\/sub><\/sup><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Story by Alexandra Broughton and Turner Dilley

As modern warfare evolves and global logistics grow more contested, the U.S. Air Force faces mounting challenges in building and sustaining critical infrastructure in dynamic, high-risk environments. For Air Force Civil Engineers, meeting these challenges requires agile, deployable solutions that enhance operational effectiveness and ensure mission success.

One such innovation\u2014the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer\u2014is being developed by the 175th Civil Engineer Squadron at Martin State Air National Guard Base, Maryland, to rapidly build fortified infrastructure that supports warfighters and sustains operations in contested environments.

\u201cThe idea came from carefully considering the role of Air Force Civil Engineers in future conflicts,\u201d Maj. Brian Vickers, Deputy Base Civil Engineer and project manager for the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer, explained. \u201cThe Air Force Civil Engineer enterprise has been largely focused on base maintenance and sustainment for over a decade, and our ability to rapidly construct and repair austere airfields and infrastructure on a large scale will likely be strained in future conflicts.\u201d

Traditional construction methods, while proven and reliable, can require significant manpower, time, and materials, as well as extensive skills\u2014factors that can contribute to longer build times, increased costs, and added logistical complexity. In contrast, the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer streamlines construction with minimal manpower\u2014just three Airmen\u2014and uses one of the world\u2019s most available materials.

\u201cBy building with concrete, occupants of these buildings are far more protected from blasts, fragmentation, and small-arms fire,\u201d Vickers described. The ability to print curved walls, which offer superior blast resistance, coupled with concrete\u2019s natural thermal properties, better enhance both survivability and energy efficiency. In an effort to improve blast resistance even further, the 175th CES team and partners from the Massachusetts National Guard and National Security Innovation Network (NSIN) are exploring the development of optimized, 3D concrete printed wall designs, which they then plan to subject to controlled-blast testing to validate.

Partnership is at the heart of the 175th CES team\u2019s approach for turning their vision of an operationally ready Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer into a reality. They obtained Squadron Innovation Funds to initially test the printer\u2019s feasibility. Through the AFWERX Refinery, the team also secured additional stakeholders and resources to expedite testing and potential adoption. Early trials proved successful but highlighted the need for ruggedization and portability. Alongside industry partner X-Hab 3D, the team modified the commercial model\u2014reinforcing components, automating processes, and simplifying controls\u2014to make it field-ready and combat-capable.

Following training with the X-Hab 3D team at Penn State University in April 2024, the team transported the 3D printer to its new home at Martin State ANGB. This marked the 175th CES as the first operational Air Force unit with a 3D concrete printer. Wasting no time, they sprang into action and completed their first independent on-base print only the following month\u2014proving not just the system\u2019s viability, but that the project team is more than ready for the task.

Among notable milestones thus far has been a public demonstration on the National Mall, showcasing the technology\u2019s potential to an audience of Congressional stakeholders. Another came when team member Tech. Sgt. Joshua Frost attempted to destroy their first print with a sledgehammer a mere 18 hours after printing\u2014and failed. \u201cThe concrete was so hard; far stronger than typical concrete,\u201d Vickers said, \u201ca tremendous nod to the potential uses of this technology.\u201d

Looking ahead, collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will seek to ensure additive manufacturing codes are updated to reflect advancements like the 3D concrete printer, aligning military standards to the future of building and design. The team is also looking to conduct soil-to-concrete research using native soils to understand how to possibly mitigate material sourcing challenges in different environments and in strategic military locations.

As for the next build project, the 175th CES plans to print a full-sized structure to house the piece of equipment. If successful, the structure has the potential to be \u201ca model for a concrete replacement of the SSS Tent that has been a DoD standard for several decades,\u201d anticipates Vickers.

\u201cOur team was trained to use the 3D Concrete Printer in just four days\u2014a remarkably fast timeline for such a revolutionary technology,\u201d Vickers emphasized. \u201cIf adopted, this capability could extend beyond RED HORSE (Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron of Engineers) units to PRIME BEEF (Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force) units, significantly expanding the Air Force Civil Engineer enterprise\u2019s construction and repair capabilities.\u201d

Scaling the technology will require investment, training, and integration\u2014but the benefits are undeniable. \u201cImpactful innovations require impactful organizational change,\u201d Vickers said.

Poised to revolutionize expeditionary construction, the Expeditionary 3D Concrete Printer offers the Air Force a faster, safer, and more resilient approach to infrastructure\u2014reinforcing combat power through enhanced survivability and rapid response. As Vickers put it, the potential is \u201ctheoretically unlimited,\u201d enabling Airmen to meet more highly-complex mission demands and build what they need, when and where they need it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Story by Alexandra Broughton and Turner Dilley As modern warfare evolves and global logistics grow more contested, the U.S. Air Force faces mounting challenges in building and sustaining critical infrastructure in dynamic, high-risk environments. For Air Force Civil Engineers, meeting these challenges requires agile, deployable solutions that enhance operational effectiveness and ensure mission success. One  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":141,"featured_media":10467,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/141"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10457"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10470,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10457\/revisions\/10470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10467"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}