ASC, Australia’s sovereign submarine partner, and shipbuilder Austal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and workforce skills.
Announced at the 2025 Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, the collaboration will enhance Australia’s domestic AM supply chain, supporting production and maintenance for Collins Class and Virginia Class submarines, while also providing training programs to upskill the workforce in advanced manufacturing.
“Additive manufacturing offers transformative potential for Australia’s maritime industry — enabling faster production, improved part performance, and greater flexibility in shipbuilding, maintenance and sustainment,” said Danielle Bull, ASC Chief Capability Officer.
Austal’s Experience in Additive Manufacturing
Austal USA’s Advanced Technologies division has been working with AM for several years, operating the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) in partnership with the BlueForge Alliance. The center focuses on qualifying and scaling AM parts for defense applications.
“This partnership builds on our long-term investments into advanced manufacturing,” said Glenn Callow, Austal Chief Technology Officer. “As early as 2020, Austal has worked with partners to align 3D printing technologies with the demands of its maritime customers. With this new partnership, we will continue efforts to uplift Australia’s shipbuilding and sustainment capability across the supply chain.”
Don Hairston, Vice President for Submarines and Advanced Technologies at Austal USA, emphasized the value of shared expertise. “It represents a tremendous opportunity for the AM CoE to share the knowledge, capabilities, and experience – our collective ‘lessons learned’ – with Austal Australia, ASC, and their AM partners. Together, we’re pushing the boundaries to build faster, more resilient worldwide supply chains for defence.”
Expanding the Maritime Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem
In September, Rosotics, a company specializing in large-scale metal additive manufacturing, entered the fabrication and testing phase of a federal contract awarded by Fluor Marine Propulsion, LLC, a naval nuclear propulsion contractor, at the Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory under the U.S. Department of Energy. The contract carries an E2 priority rating for National Defense under the Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), tied to maintenance, repair, and operating supplies for the U.S. Navy’s nuclear fleet.
In 2025, Australian large-format Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) specialist AML3D delivered 3D printed prototype tailpiece components for the US Navy’s Virginia Class nuclear submarine program as part of the trilateral AUKUS partnership. The Copper-Nickel components, worth around A$156,000, are set to undergo testing ahead of their installation on a Virginia-Class nuclear submarine for in-service trials later this year. AML3D produced these parts in under five weeks, a significant reduction compared with the 17-month lead time typical of traditional manufacturing methods.
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Featured image shows Austal USA Vice President Business Development & External Affairs, Lawrence Ryder, ASC Chief Capability Officer Danielle Bull, and Austal Australia Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Glenn Callow. Photo via Austal.
