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(from left) Naseem Jibrin, Benjamin Ennis, Brandon Ennis and Michael Winn<\/p><\/div>\n
E&G Associates is moving from coffee beans to plastic explosives after receiving a $150,000 federal grant from the Small Business Innovation Research program. The group is currently researching methods to print explosives of various shapes and sizes using a Hewlett-Packard 3D printer. Using a technique called \u201cpowdered bed fusion,\u201d the group is testing various materials such as nylon powder infused with explosive material, polymer additives and printer ink to create an explosive.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe printer spreads the nylon powder and then prints on that flat layer of powder with the ink. Then the printer passes a heat lamp back and forth to make the dark areas melt. And that’s how you get your parts,\u201d Jibrin explained. \u201cThe process is repeated in three steps. Spread a layer, ink the specific selected areas and fuse with heat lamps. You do that over and over again until you build a part.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Navy was specific in wanting to use a commercially available 3D printer. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of development effort to try to come up with a machine or printer. They want to be able to take the technologies that are already available,\u201d Benjamin Ennis said. \u201cInstead inserting a spool of nylon into the printer like with traditional 3D printing, they want to insert spool of explosive material.\u201d<\/p>\n
With an office located on Chattanooga\u2019s busy North Shore, the group can\u2019t test their 3D-printed explosives themselves. They\u2019ve partnered with the explosives engineering department at the Missouri University of Science and Technology (MST) to use their facilities.<\/p>\n
MST\u2019s Energetics Research Facility houses two blast chambers, safety and handling test equipment and several measurement devices.\u00a0E&G Associates has happily made several visits, looking forward to the day where they can safely detonate their 3D-printed explosive.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll test in a chamber that\u2019s basically a giant metal tube. It\u2019s about eight feet high with inch-thick walls,\u201d Benjamin Ennis said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a bunch of high-speed cameras to capture everything,\u201d Brandon Ennis chimed in.<\/p>\n
\u201cHearing protection required,\u201d Michael Winn said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh yeah, it\u2019s going to get wild,\u201d Jibrin said as the group laughed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Though the Chattanooga-based consulting firm E&G Associates may only have a few employees, the consulting firm is already solving problems from some of the biggest companies in the manufacturing and pharmaceutical space. Now they\u2019re taking on one of their biggest challenges: helping the U.S. Navy use 3D printing to make explosives.<\/p>\n