Additive solutions developer Stratasys has participated in the US Navy’s Trident Warrior 25, an exercise focused on fleet-level experimentation of manufacturing technologies for operational use at sea and in forward-deployed locations.
Stratasys partnered with FLEETWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School’s Consortium for Advanced Manufacturing Research and Education (CAMRE) to support the Joint Advanced Manufacturing Cell (JAMC). It supplied field‑deployable 3D printers and on‑demand production via Stratasys Direct.
The JAMC initiative connected manufacturing assets over a distance exceeding 8,000 miles, representing the Department of War’s widest distributed demonstration of this kind so far.
Throughout the exercise, seven sites worldwide used Stratasys printers to produce components that complied with US military standards.
This arrangement allowed teams either to manufacture required parts on site or request more complex production through Stratasys Direct.
The activity illustrated that deploying 3D printers in operational environments can decrease dependence on conventional logistics supply chains.
Polymer parts made during the exercise were both lightweight and resistant to corrosion.
These parts addressed various requirements, including replacements for broken equipment, new components, and fast prototyping, with additional support from Stratasys Direct if necessary.
Stratasys industrial business vice president Foster Ferguson said: “Trident Warrior 25 showed that combining forward-deployed 3D printing with reach-back production provides fast, reliable, and scalable solutions.
“Supporting both in-theatre printing and Stratasys Direct on-demand production helped reduce downtime and maintain readiness, demonstrating practical, scalable solutions across thousands of miles.”
Trident Warrior 25 demonstrated the application of additive manufacturing and underscored the role of practical operator training.
The collaboration between FLEETWERX and the Naval Postgraduate School’s CAMRE offers sailors direct experience with 3D printing, allowing them to use polymer-based solutions for operational requirements and to address equipment downtime.
US Marine Corps Marine Innovation Unit Lieutenant Colonel Michael D. Radigan said: “Exercises like Trident Warrior demonstrate how distributed manufacturing will add resilience to supply chains and deliver increased readiness and lethality to combatant commanders.”
