The US Army's Rapid Equipping Force (REF) deployed its second mobile expeditionary lab - containing some novel technologies - into theatre on 7 January 2013. Each laboratory is a 20 ft ISO container developed by the Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command and engineering company Exponent. It can be transported to a point of need by truck or helicopter and uses 3-D printers and computer numerical control (CNC) machines to replicate parts from aluminium, plastic, and steel. This enables designers to rapidly prototype items in-theatre using computer-aided design software, aiming to accelerate the design and production process, as well as reduce manufacturing logistics. Front line users can then provide immediate feedback. "We are trying to shorten the amount of time, the flash to bang, of idea to actual implementation," REF spokesperson Alison Sanderson told IHS Jane's . "We definitely want to increase sustainability for the individual ...