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Rapid Repair, Rapid Deployment
When a component fails in the field, long supply chains can compromise mission readiness. To demonstrate the potential of expeditionary manufacturing, a Meltio M600 produced a replacement additively manufactured (AM) Land Rover brake pedal for the British Army during an international military exercise, in just 16 hours.
But production speed alone isn’t enough for critical parts; performance needs assurance too. Tensile testing usually means a lab and a long wait, and hardness testing only delivers a proxy for strength. Instead, the replacement component was tested on site using PIP, generating an ASTM-compliant report on mechanical properties in just 15 minutes.
By pairing Meltio’s manufacturing and Plastometrex’s PIP testing, AM parts can be produced and verified at the point of need. That gives teams the confidence to deploy mission-critical components rapidly, without waiting on for results from a distant lab.
Original part (left) vs the new Meltio part (middle), printed using a a Meltio M600 (right)
Step 1: Manufacturing
Wire-Laser Metal Deposition (LMD): Combines precision, flexibility, and multi- metal capability with high material efficiency for faster production, repair, and enhancement of complex components.
MELTIO M600: Delivers industrial-scale wire LMD with high deposition rates, automation, and reliable production of metal parts at the point of need.
17-4PH Stainless Steel: High ultimate tensile strength, excellent fatigue resistance, and outstanding corrosion resistance. Well suited to a component that must withstand repeated loading while operating in harsh, mud-filled field environments.
“In future warfare, the force that can manufacture at point of need will outlast the force that can only resupply. Expeditionary manufacturing reduces the supply lines by placing industrial capability where it is needed, increasing resilience, responsiveness and operational endurance.”
Step 2: Validation
PIP testing verified that the replacement brake pedal exceeded the strength of the original component in both yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS), by 9% and 120% respectively.
This gave the MOD quantitative confidence that the AM brake pedal could withstand the required service loads and be used as a functional replacement, supporting the vehicle’s return to operational readiness.
PIP (Profilometry-based Indentation Plastometry) enables rapid measurement of mechanical properties from a small indentation test. Using the compact PLX-Benchtop, testing can be performed close to the point of manufacture, without the time and infrastructure associated with conventional tensile testing.
PIP testing is performed in accordance with ASTME3499 and can generate a mechanical properties report in minutes, making it well suited to rapid, expeditionary manufacturing workflows.
Stress-strain curves of the original component (blue) vs the new Meltio component (black). This data was gathered using the PLX-Benchtop (right).
Printed. Tested. Verified.
- 16 hours to manufacture in the field.
- 15 minutes to extract mechanical properties.
- Yield strength and UTS exceeded the original.
“Producing a replacement part is only the first step. Rigorous validation ensures that additively manufactured components deliver the performance and reliability required in the field.”