HACKtheMACHINE
Powered by Fathom5, HACKtheMACHINE is the Navy’s premier digital event series aimed at crowdsourcing solutions to some of its toughest science and technology challenges. These events invite people from all backgrounds to collaborate, from software engineers to UX/UI designers, from students to start-up entrepreneurs, HACKtheMACHINE participants help the Navy solve its foremost cyber, AI, and digital engineering challenges.
Past Event Photos
Blue Angels for Geeks
Case Studies
HACKtheMACHINE Virtual
2021
Additive Manufacturing
Objective
Vessels being maintained may contain numerous broken or defective parts that fall outside of advanced maintenance planning. The Navy had no way to procure or manufacture these parts and this could have a drastically negative impact on maintenance schedules. A challenge was designed in coordination with Norfolk Shipyard to accelerate the adoption of Advanced Additive Manufacturing using metallic 3D printing. Contestants were provided technical specification data and were required to print parts for inspection, vibration, and shock testing.
Key Results
The parts that met the critical dimension requirements were subjected to a battery of tests during the Prototyping Phase. The winning teams submitted 3 vastly different materials that passed all requirements with NO FAILURES. The Additive Manufacturing Contracting effort directly contributed to on-time delivery of combat-ready Ships, Subs, & Systems. Additive Manufacturing is now a key component of the Navy’s Transform Digital Capability initiative. The winner of the competition was selected to receive a contract with the U.S. Navy to continue research into Additive Manufacturing.