Ken Klapproth

Maker, Inventor & Mechanical Engineer

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Website: http://www.elsevier.com

About the author:

A lifelong maker, Ken Klapproth has always been fascinated with how things work and the process by which they are made.   Ken has an extensive career in developing and marketing information solutions to commercial success in the engineering market for large and small companies including Elsevier, IHS, Invention Machine Corporation, Entuity, Proficiency, and SDRC.  Starting his career as a Mechanical Engineer for Pratt & Whitney, Ken helped designing the commercial gas turbine engines found under the wing on many of today’s modern aircraft including the Boeing 777.  In his spare time, Ken is an avid woodworker, photography enthusiast, and runner.

Posts by Ken Klapproth

Marines Assess Battlefield Additive Manufacturing

Posted on August 23rd, 2017 in New Materials & Applications

By Marine Corps Systems Command [Content on YouTube], via YouTube

Supply chains can make or break a company, but supply lines can win or lose a war and have untold costs in human lives. The U.S. Marines are testing advanced in situ manufacturing technology to manufacture spare parts in theater, getting them back to the fight faster.

A highly efficient supply chain is the lifeblood of any manufacturer. Each step being on time, every time with supplies arriving just in time is pivotal to maximum efficiency and profitability. When you are the United States Marines – the tip of the spear in combat – your supply chain takes on life or death consequences. Any wait time for repair parts is just not acceptable.

The Marine Corps is exploring the use of additive manufacturing technology to help them quickly construct and repair equipment on location near the battlefield. Their prototype X-Fab (Expeditionary Fabrication) facility is a self-contained, transportable additive manufacturing unit that can be deployed on location. Marine maintenance units would then have the capability to create components in real time, solving complex and location dependent problems. For example, if the manufacturer supplied stand on a grenade launcher proved unstable due to rocky terrain, a new foot could be created after 3D laser scanning indigenous rocks. Additionally, repair parts or failed components could be copied on location eliminating the need to inventory replacements or wait for them to arrive through standard supply lines.

Housed within a 20×20 foot shelter, the Marine X-Fab includes advanced technology to create and repair parts including 3D scanners and printers as well as computer aided design software to engineer bespoke components. Have a look at the following YouTube video to learn more and see the X-Fab in action:

While many industries may claim “life or death” consequences on supply chain delays, you’d be hard pressed to find any more critical than those of military serviceman and service women. Technological innovations such as X-Fab gives America’s finest an edge to come home safely. Semper fi!

How would you additive manufacturing could improve battlefield readiness? Tell us about your quest for unconventional knowledge and what it could mean for the future of your products or companies. Share your thoughts in the comments section below and don’t forget to follow us on your favorite social media channel.

All opinions shared in this post are the author’s own.

Hyperloop One Announces Record Speed but Doesn’t Best Aérotrain

Posted on August 16th, 2017 in New Materials & Applications

By Hyperloop One [Content on YouTube], via YouTube

Inventing a new form of transportation is hard to do, even if it’s been seemingly done before. While Hyperloop One is not the first company to attempt commercialization of a hovertrain, their achievement is not in their vehicle’s announced top speed, but in the propulsion system used to get there. Continue reading “Hyperloop One Announces Record Speed but Doesn’t Best Aérotrain” »

Bigger Bucks for Additive Manufacturing in the Stuff That Makes the Stuff

Posted on August 9th, 2017 in New Materials & Applications

Image by Arne Hückelheim [CC BY 3.0] via Wikimedia Commons

Human RFID Implant – Orwellian or Requested?

Posted on August 2nd, 2017 in New Materials & Applications

Image by Amal Graafstra [CC BY-SA 2.0] via Flickr

What could be perceived as raising the specter of “Big Brother”, a Wisconsin company is offering employees microchip implants beginning this month. A majority have agreed, do you? Continue reading “Human RFID Implant – Orwellian or Requested?” »