Case Study: United States Marine Corps achieves deployable, on-demand parts fabrication with 3D Platform's 300 Series in the XFAB mobile lab

3D Printer Supports Marine Corps through its mobile XFAB laboratory

3D Platform partnered with the U.S. Marine Corps’ MCTSSA to support the XFAB portable expeditionary fabrication lab, addressing the challenge of delivering a deployable, rugged additive-manufacturing capability that can produce hard-to-find parts and tools in forward-deployed environments while operating on the Marine Corps’ closed network. The goal was to prove the lab’s connectivity, transportability, and field-ready performance for battalion-level maintenance units.

The solution integrated 3D Platform’s large-format 300 Series Workbench Pro into a 20×20 ft collapsible XFAB containing five printers, scanners, cutters, and CAD systems; the lab can be set up by four Marines in 2–3 hours and transported on standard vehicles. Demo testing at MCTSSA validated the system’s ability to print functional parts (like a universal load-stud wrench), demonstrated reliable network connectivity, and moved the program toward final operational capability and fleet delivery by June 2022.

United States Marine Corps