In the midst of a vehicle design upgrade cycle, a range of decisions will be made.
Some will then be unmade, with a rethink and a redesign to follow.
When engaged in the upgrade of a Challenger 3 battle tank, the ducting for the Crew Temperature Control System was one such application that needed a rethink. Though an important element for the comfort of the tank's crew, there are many more parts of much greater criticality that, during an entire vehicle upgrade, will cause the ducting's form and size to be reconsidered.
These tanks are already manufactured in relatively low volumes, and so when more important subsystems were being installed in the vehicle architecture, a new way of manufacturing them was going to be needed.
Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land Limited (RBSL) turned to polymer 3D printing.
