DISCMAM project to boost on-site metal Additive Manufacturing for defense reaches first major milestone
January 23, 2025
The DISCMAM project, funded by the European Defence Fund (EDF), completed its first year with an anniversary meeting in Frankfurt, Germany, in November 2024. This gathering of consortium partners, including leading technical and research institutions, reviewed the project’s achievements over the past year and discussed key research and execution plans for the future.
Progress and strategic achievements
The first twelve months of the DISCMAM project have been pivotal in establishing the foundation for its continuation over the next two years. Aligned with the project’s objectives and through close cross-border collaboration among all partners, significant progress has been achieved, it was reported.
Notably, the first major milestone – the identification of scenarios and the selection of components or use cases aligned with these scenarios – has been reached. Five use cases have been defined, three for spare parts manufacturing and two for parts repair; those include an air compressor cover, a fuel filter housing, a phalanx maintenance tool, a front pulley and a joint shaft flange.
During this initial period, the goal has been to enhance efficiency and equipment readiness in military operations through the manufacture and repair of spare parts by two selected Additive Manufacturing technologies: Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) and Laser Directed Energy Deposition (DED-LB).
Additionally, based on the selected scenarios and use cases, an on-site maintenance plan has been developed, together with the data flow characteristics required to establish a secure digital pathway. This plan addresses logistical considerations, ensures robust data protection, and aims to provide rapid responses to specific types of equipment failures and challenges on on-site maintenance and logistic supply chain.
Further work has been carried out to collate information regarding the parts’ specifications and requirements, as well as processing and post-processing steps for the selected use cases.
The project coordinator at LORTEK, stated, “we are pleased to report that the project is making good progress. While the future outlook is challenging, we are confident of achieving our goals in a timely and efficient manner.”
In the coming months, DISCMAM anticipates implementing monitoring solutions and cyber secure digital pathways, as well as making progress on scanning technologies and the initial fabrication or reparation of the previously described use cases. These developments will drive the project’s mission to revolutionise maintenance and manufacturing processes in defence contexts.
DISCMAM at Formnext 2024
The third in-person consortium meeting since the project began in December 2023 was strategically aligned with the location of the Formnext convention in Frankfurt. The project was represented by its coordinator LORTEK with its own booth, while the project partners EULER and ADAXIS highlighted the project work they are in lead of at their booths.
This meeting point offered DISCMAM an invaluable platform to highlight its objectives and achievements, connect with leading experts in AM, explore potential collaborations, engage stakeholders, and gain insights into emerging technological trends. These opportunities look to significantly enhance the project’s ability to innovate and redefine logistics capabilities in the defence sector as the project advances toward initial trials, validation and field military interoperability exercise scheduled for 2025.
