A police department in the US has invested in a 3D printer and introduced 3D printer courses for its SWAT team and bomb squad.

Sgt. Harold “Skip” Curtis, from Utah County Sheriff’s office, initially 3D printed parts for a detonation exercise with the help of explosives service and training bureau WMDTech.

Following the success of this, the sheriff’s office has invested in an FFF 3D printer and a dedicated server for sharing designs, while WMDTech has introduced a pilot course to teach SWAT and bomb techs how to draw and print 3D objects.

Blowing away the cost of a detonation cord clip

Speaking to the International Tactical Training Association’s Tactical Solutions Magazine, Curtis explained that the idea of 3D printing equipment for explosives control first came to him during the Utah County Metro SWAT team’s final training exercises, which involved using explosives to breach a solid oak door.

“We were having an issue getting the electrical tape to stick, and a hard time getting the det-cord bundled uniformly in the manner we needed for the charge to work correctly,” he explained. “I had been doing some contract work with Boise-based WMDTech…so I wanted to see if they could 3D print a clip that would hold the det-cord together quickly and securely in any weather.”

Curtis was helped by WMDTech R&D engineer Kealyb Draper to realise his initial designs for the detonation cord clip, which were drawn up, 3D designed and 3D printed in a matter of hours. 3D printing not only delivered the clip quickly, but it was also a much cheaper option than other custom manufacturing options.

“Without 3D printing, the cost of creating the det-cord clip and sharing it with other breachers and bomb techs could have cost $10,000 for an injection mold,” Curtis explained. He also noted that further pieces would have cost $1.50 each to produce (with a minimum 10,000 piece run), and that had there been a problem with the detonation cord design, another $10,000 would have had to be spent.

“With 3D printing, if you need to change the item, you simply change the drawing,” he added. With a digital file, the only expenditure for 3D printing more components would come from 3D printing filament.