DEVCOM Tests Remote 3D-Printed Electronics Repairs at Valiant Shield 2026

Printing Repairs From Three Time Zones

During Valiant Shield 2026, the US Army's DEVCOM Armaments Center ran a remote drone repair operation that stretched from Oahu to Okinawa to New Jersey. Engineers at Schofield Barracks and Camp Kinser worked with Marines from the 3rd Maintenance Battalion while a team back at Picatinny Arsenal provided support from across the Pacific.

Silver Ink and Salt Air

The repair process uses silver inks printed onto electronics to fix broken traces and connectors. Tropical heat and salt air in Hawaii made the printing environment difficult. Several printers were damaged during transport, so the team had to repair the printers before they could repair anything else. Once running, they printed custom flexible antennas and tested lighter alternatives to existing drone components.

Scan, Reverse, Print

When a part broke, the team used 3D scanners to reverse-engineer it, then printed the replacement. The Marines asked DEVCOM to develop an automated diagnosis and printing system for broken electronics, with user feedback built into the workflow.

What Comes Next

DEVCOM plans to work with NextFlex, a Manufacturing USA institute focused on hybrid electronics, to move toward that automated system. The Armaments Center also collaborated with Sciperio and nScrypt on the exercise. nScrypt is a long-time NextFlex member, and its equipment underpins much of the printed electronics process.

Why It Matters

A recent AM Research report pegs the 3D printing market for drones at nearly $900 million by 2034. Military adoption is driving early demand, but commercial uses in public safety and infrastructure monitoring could follow. Performance Drone Works recently landed an $820 million conditional loan from the DoD's Office of Strategic Capital. The company is testing 3D printed conformal batteries for military drones with Material Hybrid Manufacturing, and the Army already uses PDW's C100 system with printed components. What the military proves out in exercises like Valiant Shield often ends up in commercial workflows a few years later.