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Accession Number:
ADA616165
Title:
A Delphi Study of Additive Manufacturing Applicability for United States Air Force Civil Engineer Contingency Operations
Descriptive Note:
Master's thesis
Corporate Author:
AIR FORCE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB OH GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT
Report Date:
2015-03-26
Pagination or Media Count:
102.0
Abstract:
Additive manufacturing is a relatively new technique that is gaining popularity in many applications. This research examines the possibilities for the integration of additive manufacturing AM machines in United States Air Force civil engineer CE contingency operations. A Delphi study was conducted that combined the knowledge and experience of experts in both the AM industry and the Air Force CE community to forecast the possible benefits and drawbacks of this novel AM application. The results of this Delphi study indicate that including an AM machine would be beneficial in meeting deployed Air Force CE requirements. Further, AM technology has reached a point that a pilot study would be beneficial to validate the benefits of including an AM machine in CE operations. Proposed goals of, and a design for this study are presented. Further, the results indicate that within the next five years, AM technology will have progressed far enough that a full-scale deployment of AM machines to meet Air Force CE contingency requirements will be beneficial.
Distribution Statement:
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
