Mobile Parts Hospital: Rx for Readiness

The Army's Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH) program has been established to increase vehicle readiness by fabricating repair parts near the point of need. The mobile capability will include a satellite for part data transfer, hardware and software for reverse engineering, and manufacturing equipment from both the traditional manufacturing and the rapid prototyping industries. Additionally, the MPH will set up agile manufacturing cells in the continental United States to do the things that cannot be done in the field system. These agile manufacturing cells will be able to receive the engineering data generated from the mobile system and rapidly produce a qualified part to be shipped to the military unit needing the part. This paper will focus on the manufacturing capabilities that are planned for the mobile field system.