Voltage Vessels, a Hawaii-based startup founded by Sam Young, has submitted a six-meter 3D printed rigid hull inflatable boat for U.S. maritime defense evaluation, for potential integration into autonomous naval programs. The hull was printed using CEAD’s large-format additive manufacturing system, a Dutch industrial printer used by multiple defense contractors for hull-scale composite production.
The submission is the company’s first entry into formal defense evaluation. Voltage Vessels is building its case around two claims: that Eclipse X9 outperforms existing printed marine composites in structural and saltwater tests, and that hulls printed from digital files at regional facilities across the Indo-Pacific can replace the conventional model of manufacturing boats in fixed U.S. facilities and shipping them forward.
The Material: What Eclipse X9 Is and How It Has Been Tested
Eclipse X9 combines recycled PETG plastic with chopped basalt fiber, a volcanic mineral common in Hawaii, into a pellet and filament format designed for large-format additive manufacturing.
External testing at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center supported the company’s performance claims. Testing under project ID UM-TC-23-1008 measured tensile strength at approximately 108 megapascals along the print direction and 36.5 megapascals perpendicular to layers, against 49.2 and 9.7 megapascals respectively for HDPro. Bending strength reached 112.98 megapascals in the primary direction versus 60.40 megapascals for wood-filled PETG. After 24 months of saltwater immersion, the material retained over 90 percent of its strength, with water absorption below 0.4 percent.
Beyond the Hull: RF Properties and the Distributed Manufacturing Bet
Basalt fiber’s electrical non-conductivity gives Eclipse X9 a low dielectric constant, it does not reflect radar energy or interfere with the RF signals that autonomous naval systems depend on for navigation, communication, and sensor operation. That is a practical advantage over aluminum and carbon fiber hulls, though RF transparency remains under evaluation for specific frequency ranges.
The manufacturing model carries the same logic further. Rather than shipping replacement hulls from continental U.S. facilities, Voltage Vessels is proposing regional production nodes across the Indo-Pacific, each printing hulls from digital files using locally compounded Eclipse X9. Production capacity is described as scalable to 15,000 metric tons annually.
3D Printed Hulls for Autonomous Naval Programs
The U.S. Navy‘s interest in additively manufactured maritime platforms is not speculative, it is being actively funded and tested. Blue Ops recently partnered with robotic fabrication company HADDY to integrate large-scale 3D printing directly into the production of military-grade unmanned surface vessels, with the collaboration projected to double current manufacturing output. Voltage Vessels is submitting into that same demand signal, but at the hull level rather than the component level.
That distinction matters. The U.S. Navy issued a Letter of Intent to AML3D outlining plans to deploy up to 100 large-format metal 3D printers across the Maritime Industrial Base, targeting 1,600 additively manufactured components annually by 2030. Components, not hulls. Voltage Vessels is operating ahead of where the Navy’s current AM investment is focused. Whether defense procurement follows is an open question.
3D Printing Industry is inviting speakers for its 2026 Additive Manufacturing Applications (AMA) series, covering Energy, Healthcare, Automotive and Mobility, Aerospace, Space and Defense, and Software. Each online event focuses on real production deployments, qualification, and supply chain integration. Practitioners interested in contributing can complete the call for speakers form here.
To stay up to date with the latest 3D printing news, don’t forget to subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter or follow us on LinkedIn.
Explore the full Future of 3D Printing and Executive Survey series from 3D Printing Industry, featuring perspectives from CEOs, engineers, and industry leaders on the industrialization of additive manufacturing, 3D printing industry trends 2026, qualification, supply chains, and additive manufacturing industry analysis.
Featured image shows a 6M 3D printed RHIB hull in an industrial facility. Photo via Voltage Vessels.
