With the goal of ensuring the launch and development of three new businesses – Software, Financing and Innovation –, Xerox has made a few changes in the management team. Among the four people who have recently been appointed, there is one that we should certainly hear a lot about: Naresh Shanker. Senior Vice President and chief technology officer, he will lead the PARC Innovation business.
The unit aims to develop 3D liquid metal and industrial IoT products, cleantech technology, as well as sign clients and raise commercial interest from industries. Ever since it has debuted on Formnext 2019, Xerox has remained in stealth mode – until today.
This day marks the company’s first installation of its ElemX 3D printer and most importantly, the debut of a collaboration with the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
As part of the Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) both organizations signed, the 3D printer will help NPS faculty and students explore new ways to deliver on-demand 3D printing of metal parts and equipment.
“The military supply chain is among the most complex in the world, and NPS understands first-hand the challenges manufacturers must address,” said Xerox Chief Technology Officer Naresh Shanker. “This collaboration will aid NPS in pushing adoption of 3D printing throughout the U.S. Navy, and will provide Xerox valuable information to help deliver supply chain flexibility and resiliency to future customers. From the age of sail to the nuclear era, sailors have been fixing things at sea so they can complete the mission,”
Thesis research for the Navy and Marine Corps.
Scientists at NPS will work on the ElemX 3D printer, a machine that requires the use of aluminum wire to fabricate end-use parts which can withstand the rigors of operational demands. For the military, this means less dependency on supply chain and quick intervention when needed.
“By providing the right digital tools and the liquid metal printer, all of a sudden we’ve helped transform not just the supply chain, but how the Department of Defense (DoD) thinks operationally about supplying war. This is one way to bend the cost curve so that the DoD is not spending a thousand dollars for every dollar that a peer competitor spends,” retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Todd Lyons, vice president of the NPS Alumni Association and Foundation noted.
We still have a lot to learn from that ElemX 3D printer but if it is able to meet the needs of the military supply chain, it is certainly well positioned to meet those of the aerospace, automotive, heavy equipment, and oil and gas industries.
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