Close-up image of a small, black polymer cone that was 3D printed as a tool for F-35 Lightning II maintenance

This O-ring installation tool manufactured by the Innovation Lab at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) fulfilled a critical maintenance need for the F-35 Lightning II combat aircraft. The two-person team at the Innovation Lab used additive manufacturing – commonly referred to as 3D printing – to fulfill a request for 2,000 of the tools, and successfully completed the order under two weeks. Within days, the effort put tools in aircraft maintainers’ hands across the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force, and foreign partners. The turnaround time represented less than 10% of the estimated six months procurement would have taken through traditional acquisition methods.

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