MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va.— Marine Corps System Command’s Advanced Manufacturing Operations Cell collaborated with 1st Supply Battalion and industry partners to develop a 3D-printed metal steering wheel removal device. This innovative solutions helps solve a common problem among vehicle maintenance Marines.
“We’re always talking about how Marines move toward the sound of gunfire,” said Capt. Matthew Audette, AMOC project officer at MCSC. “If we open up that aperture a little bit, we can say Marines move toward the sound of problems, and they solve those problems. Additive manufacturing lowers the barrier to entry for physically making that solution.”
Marines need to remove the steering wheel columns for the Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement and Logistics Vehicle System Replacement when conducting vehicle maintenance. The removal tool that comes with their maintenance kit, a 10-way slide hammer, requires users to exert a great deal of pressure on the steering wheel column. This often leads to the steering wheel being broken or damaged.
Source : DVIDS – News – Marines create innovative vehicle maintenance tool using additive manufacturing