Turkish DED firm MetalWorm makes wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) systems that are used by research institutes in Brazil and Malaysia, while also counting Turkish armored car companies Otokar and FNSS as clients, and working for national rocket champion Roketsan as well.MetalWorm has an affordable lineup of configurable DED systems with different footprints and DED heads, and together with Nurol Makina, put them to use fabricating an important connection component for armored vehicles.The company exemplifies a new trend in South-South commerce where developing countries deepen trade and business relationships with each other, rather than selling to the “North” or being sold to by companies in the wealthy Western companies.
At the same time, NATO member Turkey straddles East and West, while becoming more independent and assertive in its foreign policy.Recent Turkish foreign policy and industrial policy has focused on making MetalWorm an arms giant.It has been very successful in displacing Russia as an arms supplier to emerging nations.
Russia’s arms are seen to be demonstrably quite ineffectual, and doing business with Russian companies will earn you opprobrium now.Turkey has marched into that gap, offering reliable kit that delivers on value.Its Bayraktar drones are in demand as war winners worldwide, and it has revenues of $1.8 billion.
Strengthening Turkey’s economy while making it more influential abroad is exactly what Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has in mind.Defense companies are exploring DED as a technology for making hulls, armor, composite armor, repairs, chassis components, and more.DED has the right mix of low cost and quick build rates that these applications need.
IEDs and the proliferation of heavy machine guns has led to a lot of people wanting armored cars, so these are a sweet spot right now for a lot of defense firms.They’re also seen as lynchpins for infantry regiments, and quick fixes to upgrade the defense of your palace, airport, or best brigade.In insurgencies, armored vehicles can get a lot of troops to battle very quickly, and they have been absolutely instrumental for decades in bush wars.
Plus, fielding and supporting these vehicles is much simpler than with tanks.If the other guys have Toyotas with heavy machine guns (called technicals), displacing them with infantry or more Toyotas will be difficult.Meanwhile, armored cars can do hit and run attacks and disappear quickly.
Striking the right balance between having the speed to get to battle, while also having the firepower to drive back the technicals, makes them especially desirable in these types of scenarios.If we only look at France, and its now much-reduced role as policeman in Africa—benign or disruptive depending on whom you ask—it has used armored cars extensively and decisively.It used them to free hostages, made them decisive in the battle for Abidjan, and put them to work in Operation Serval in Mali.
Despite France’s recent withdrawal from several African countries, it has ordered 420 Serval light armored cars, and fielded new Jaguar recon vehicles as well as Griffons.It is clear that in insurgency and counterinsurgency campaigns in austere environments, armored vehicles are key.As products that are anything close to these vehicles would appeal to many countries, particularly African and Middle Eastern ones, Turkey would obviously like a capability similar to that of the French.
At the same time, armored cars could be very valuable in urban conflicts.Now, MetalWorm has collaborated with Nurol to use WAAM for part production.Nurol is a 40-year-old company that makes 4X4 armored cars and tactical vehicles.
The Ejder YALÇIN 4×4, NMS 4×4, NMS Light, & PARS 4×4 are mainly for Turkey, but it is increasingly eying exports.The company should have around $130 million in revenue and is a part of the Nurol conglomerate, which also includes construction companies, a Sheraton, and the BAE joint venture FNSS, which makes tracked armored vehicles and 4X4s.Nurol also makes boron carbide, one of the hardest substances known to man, which can be used in armor.
Composites have been made of titanium and boron carbide using LENS and other additive technologies.Now, the duo of MetalWorm and Nurol have tested and fielded an 8.5 kg WAAM component.A steel filler was used alongside WAAM, and the part was post-processed through lasers, not machining.
They carried out destructive and non-destructive tests in the laboratory, as well as under field conditions on an armored vehicle for eight months before being tested again after.The component met all the required standards, and MetalWorm believes the tests have shown that, “WAAM technology can be effectively used in real-world operational conditions for high-security and high-performance applications such as armored vehicle components…Especially in cases of low-volume production, custom-designed parts, and urgent delivery needs, WAAM offers significant advantages.” I’m not sure what the part is, perhaps a transmission housing? This is, however, a real step forward in the production of ground vehicles.For rather pedestrian parts, it could make sense in some cases to print them.
It’s probably more expensive, but if we take into account the advantages for MRO, especially in austere places, then DED, and particularly WAAM, could very much grow as an application.Subscribe to Our Email Newsletter Stay up-to-date on all the latest news from the 3D printing industry and receive information and offers from third party vendors.Print Services Upload your 3D Models and get them printed quickly and efficiently.
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