Australian metal additive manufacturing company AML3D and Austal USA have marked a new chapter in their ongoing partnership with the delivery and successful installation of a containerized ARCEMY system at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Danville, Virginia. The unit, AML3D’s first portable edition of the ARCEMY platform, arrives pre-mounted inside a standard 20-foot shipping container, a format specifically chosen for rapid repositioning as manufacturing needs evolve.
Its installation triggered the final 50% payment of the approximately AU$1.2 million order, bringing Austal USA’s total fleet at Danville to three ARCEMY systems alongside two existing large-scale custom units.
Speed and Flexibility at the Point of Need
What distinguishes the portable format from its fixed counterparts is not the technology inside but how quickly it can be moved and redeployed. Where a conventional system requires two to three weeks to reinstall, the containerized ARCEMY can be back online in as little as one to two days, a difference that matters considerably when production demands shift or forward deployment becomes necessary. That flexibility is expected to draw interest from multiple branches of the US military, as the system is already qualified to manufacture components meeting US military specifications.
“It is exciting to continue to build our relationship with Austal USA. The success of this first portable, containerised system demonstrates how AML3D can flex its technology to meet multiple US military and industrial manufacturing use cases. The addition of the portable ARCEMY brings Austal USA’s fleet of customised ARCEMY® systems to three at the US Navy’s Danville Center of excellence. And we still are only just beginning to access the huge opportunity to support the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base outlined in the Letter of Intent we received from the US Navy that indicated a need for up to 100 additive manufacturing systems and 3,400 additively manufactured parts by 2030,” said AML3D CEO Sean Ebert.
Reshaping the Supply Chain, Not Just Supporting It
For Austal USA, which operates the Danville facility on behalf of the Navy, the containerized system represents something more than an equipment addition. It is a demonstration of what on-demand, point-of-need production looks like when it moves beyond the controlled environment of a fixed facility and into the field.
“At Austal USA, our growing relationship with AML3D reflects a shared vision to redefine what’s possible in advanced manufacturing. The introduction of a containerized, fully deployable additive manufacturing system is a game-changer—it not only increases our capability at the U.S. Navy AM CoE, but it also allows us to demonstrate production directly at the point of need. Together, we’re not just enhancing supply chains—we’re transforming them, delivering next-generation capability exactly where and when it matters most,” said Austal USA VP Don Hairston.
The Navy’s Push to Manufacture Where It Operates
The US Navy has made its direction clear: parts need to be produced closer to where ships actually operate, not shipped from centralized facilities thousands of miles away. The Danville AM CoE sits within this logic, not a standalone facility but a node in a growing distributed network. The centre creates standardized digital data packages for 3D printable parts, including full engineering and validation records, that can be shared with approved Navy suppliers across the supply chain, accelerating repair cycles and enabling distributed manufacturing without redundant qualification trials at every location.
Similarly, the Navy’s GAMMA facility in Guam, a $40 million additive manufacturing complex housing polymer printers, directed energy deposition systems, and laser powder bed fusion equipment, was built precisely to cut repair timelines from years to weeks by producing replacement parts for ships and submarines on-island, at the point of need.
The shift is also happening at sea: the Navy has installed 3D printers directly aboard warships to fabricate replacement parts and conduct repairs without returning to shore, with Navy shipbuilding stakeholders reporting lead time reductions of up to 95% for specific components as a result.
The containerized ARCEMY deployment advances that network one step further. A system that can be redeployed in 48 hours rather than three weeks is not just flexible manufacturing, it is the physical infrastructure of a supply chain that moves with the mission rather than waiting for the mission to come to it.
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Featured image shows An AML3D ARCEMY WAAM 3D printer at the AM CoE. Photo via Austal USA.
