Research Summaries

Back Naval Additive Manufacturing X3D Model Exchange: Preliminary Operational Capability

Fiscal Year 2018
Division Research & Sponsored Programs
Department Naval Research Program
Investigator(s) Norbraten, Terry D.
Bailey, Joseph M.
Brutzman, Donald P.
Law, Rebecca L.
Sponsor NPS Naval Research Program (Navy)
Summary Prior NRP work showed technical requirements and installed an open-source 3D Model Exchange server for shared Navy use, now ready to support Fab Labs and early adopters. Initial lessons learned can expedite full-scale future Navy USMC deployment.
Ongoing NRP work established a technical roadmap to address many Navy needs for Additive Manufacturing (AM). NPS has created a Navy X3D Model Exchange (modelexchange.nps.edu) for secure upload, sharing and printing of 3D models. The server adapts an open-source National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3D Model Exchange (3DMX) tool suite for Navy/USMC use. Archive control lets us integrate cybersecurity data protections.
We are building a Web-based archive for community sharing of model designs, 3D scans, photographs, commentary, “how-to” best practices, inquiry, lessons learned, etc. Technical interoperability is achieved by using Extensible 3D (X3D) Graphics International Standard for 3D printing and visualization interchange among diverse commercial formats. All submissions are retained in their original forms – together with necessary descriptions and metadata – suitable to meet Navy requirements for licensing and intellectual Property Rights (IPR).
Opening up new technology capabilities to communities of collaborating Navy/USMC personnel, in combination with open-standards data interchange and a Web-based approach, provides many opportunities to explore emerging digital techniques associated with additive manufacturing. A shared community server can enable a competitive industry-friendly approach that avoids “lockin” dominance of any single vendor across the broad long-term needs of Navy requirements and usage.
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Publications Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal
Data Publications, theses (not shown) and data repositories will be added to the portal record when information is available in FAIRS and brought back to the portal