Will Roper, assistant secretary for acquisition, technology and logistics at the U.S. Air Force, has said a licensing arrangement could allow the service branch to harness three-dimensional printing technology in components production, Defense One reported Tuesday.
The report noted that manufacturers own the intellectual property data on weapons and legal worries can hinder the service branch from reproducing components with additive manufacturing techniques.
“If we had kind of a licensing or fee agreement with them, we should be able to print that part and they get a kickback or a royalty and off we go,†Roper told Defense One in an interview.
“It’s that kind of creative thinking that we need to do.â€
