The United States Navy is leveraging metal and polymer 3D printers during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise in Hawaii, running until 2 August 2024.
40 ships, 150 aircraft, three submarines, 14 land-based armed forces and 25,000 personnel from 29 nations are participating in the military exercise, reportedly making it the world’s largest international series of naval drills.
The Navy has deployed the 3D printers, including an XSPEE3D cold spray system from Australian 3D printer manufacturer SPEE3D and Snowbird Technologies’ SAMM Tech hybrid DED manufacturing system, to assess their value in securing military supply chains in the field. The trial seeks to reduce the delivery time of critical parts from days to hours through a “cradle-to-grave” approach.
According to a recent report from Stars and Stripes, the Navy has been identifying “readiness problems” on the ground. Designs for missing parts are either found or created from scratch. A prototype is quickly fabricated on an FDM 3D printer before the final component is produced on one of the team’s metal systems. Finally, post-processing steps, such as milling, drilling or grinding, are completed by on-site machinists.
Speaking at the Marine Corps Base in Hawaii, FLEETWERX contractor Patrick Tucker commented “I don’t think there’s been something like this done yet” within the US Department of Defense (DoD). The project is being overseen by the San Diego-based Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific.
Securing US Naval supply chains with 3D printing
Launched in 2022, the XSPEE3D is a containerized system that employs SPEE3D’s Cold spray technology, also known as Supersonic Particle Deposition (SPD), to produce large metal parts quickly.
Metal powder is fired at a substrate at three times the speed of sound. This velocity causes the particles to fuse on impact, one layer at a time, until the desired part has been fabricated. Cold Spray is unique in metal additive manufacturing as it doesn’t melt material (hence its name).
Critically, cold spray 3D printing is fast, making it ideal for defense forces that require parts at short notice. The XSPEE3D has a build rate of 100g/minute, with an ability to produce components up to ⌀0.9m x 0.7m in size. This is reportedly between 100 and 1,000 times faster than other metal 3D printers.
The US Navy is also leveraging a Snowbird Additive Mobile Manufacturing Technology (SAMM Tech) unit. This containerized system combines Meltio’s metal wire-directed energy deposition (DED) technology with a FANUC-controlled CNC system. Therefore, parts can be 3D printed, milled and finished on the same machine.
DED-3D printed components do not require post-processing and heat treatment, making the SAMM Tech well-suited to military applications that require metal parts at short notice. The hybrid manufacturing platform was recently installed aboard USS Somerset (LPD-25), a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock participating in RIMPAC.
Machinists from the 25th Infantry Division are aboard LPD-25 to support CNC operations. The US Air Force is also offering the services of its machine shop at Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam for finishing parts on dry land.
According to Tucker, the existing US industrial base for weapons systems is not robust. He added that traditional manufacturing is not responsive enough to meet readiness requirements in theatre.
3D printing can overcome these challenges by quickly producing essential maritime and aviation parts when and where they are needed, Tucker stated.
The US Navy’s metal 3D printers can fabricate fully dense metal parts weighing up to 80 pounds in a matter of hours. This is significantly quicker than ordering parts from manufacturers. Navy Lt. Joel Hunter, a student at the Naval Postgraduate School, stated that parts can take up to 200 days to deliver using the conventional supply chain.
Looking to the future, Tucker believes all Navy ships could incorporate metal 3D printers to improve self-sufficiency and avoid a reliance on spare parts from the US mainland.
3D printers witness increased military adoption
This is not the first time the US Navy has adopted additive manufacturing to secure the supply of critical parts. Australian 3D printer manufacturer AML3D has a long history of supplying its ARCEMY metal 3D printers to support the US Navy’s Submarine industrial base.
Most recently, in May 2024, US Navy submarine component supplier Laser Welding Solutions (LWS) ordered two AML3D ARCEMY Small Edition 2600 3D printers. Worth AUD$0.70 million (US$0.46 million), the deal has seen LWS lease the 3D printers to support its efforts to qualify ARCEMY Nickel Aluminum Bronze (NAB) components for submarine applications.
Elsewhere, Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc. (BPMI) selected Velo3D’s Sapphire XC large format printer for the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. In collaboration with materials company ATI, BPMI is leveraging Velo3D’s metal technology to 3D print missile parts previously manufactured through casting. This will reportedly reduce lead times for components critical to the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program.
Away from the US Navy, the British Army recently leveraged the XSPEE3D cold spray 3D printer to 3D print spare parts on the frontline of Nato Exercise Steadfast Defender.
9 Theatre Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (9 REME) used the XSPEE3D to replace damaged or missing components for old vehicles. 3D printing these parts eliminated reliance on extended supply chains, which can take weeks or months to deliver replacements.
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Featured image shows The USS Somerset. Photo via the US Navy.
