At sea, a broken component can’t simply be reordered and delivered the next morning. Some items take weeks to reach a deployed ship, and others are no longer produced at all. To ease that strain, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), working alongside Combat Logistics Battalion 13 of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, has turned to onboard 3D printers that give the crew both additive and subtractive manufacturing tools.
The effort is one of roughly 40 experimentation projects featured at RIMPAC 2026, each backed by a sponsor from the US Department of War or the Department of the Navy under the Fleet Experimentation Program (FLEX). These initiatives run through every stage of the exercise, pierside, underway, and aboard both U.S. and partner-nation vessels, letting the fleet trial emerging technology and route warfighter feedback to decision-makers early in the acquisition cycle.
“We’re able to manufacture parts on site at the point of need,” said Gunnery Sgt. Samuel Margarini, the non-commissioned officer in charge of the 3D Printing Team with Combat Logistics Battalion 13, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. “Whether it’s for the ship, the Marine Corps, or aviation, we’re able to solve problems without waiting on the supply chain.”
The capability doesn’t resolve every logistics problem, but it moves well beyond conventional production.
From Digital Model to Finished Part
Additive and subtractive manufacturing work by adding or stripping material one layer at a time, guided by a digital model. The work starts when a department brings a worn part or a set of specifications to the printing team. Technicians take measurements, build a digital design, and run off a plastic prototype to confirm the dimensions before committing to the final piece. For trickier components, a 3D scanner captures precise measurements so the item can be recreated digitally.
Margarini noted that plastic prototypes, faster to produce than metal versions, let the team test a design before locking it in. That approach verifies exact measurements and fit, trims waste, saves time, and allows adjustments ahead of installation.
The payoff shows up most clearly in the supply workflow. “The traditional process requires a department to submit a job and the supply department to track, receive, and issue parts,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Jason Pirrallo, the supply officer aboard Essex. “This capability enables the entire manufacturing process to occur on the ship, reducing administrative hurdles and the time from job submission to receipt of parts.”
For the ship’s Supply Department, printing parts on demand is one more way to keep Essex ready for its mission.“If we’re in the middle of the ocean and something breaks, instead of waiting a week or two for a replacement, we’re able to get our equipment operational right there,” Margarini said. “There are many parts on ships that are no longer manufactured. Some manufacturers no longer exist, and some parts are simply obsolete. This technology helps supplement the supply system and keeps equipment operational.”
Medical Applications and What Comes Next
Because one of the Essex’s roles is to serve as a forward-deployed medical platform and deliver humanitarian aid in a crisis, keeping medical gear on hand matters. U.S. Navy Capt. David Foster, the ship’s senior medical officer, said much of that equipment involves low-volume, high-acuity parts well suited to the printing team, which has already turned out replacement thermostat covers and oxygen storage components that can’t be bought.
“In the future, we’re hoping to manufacture actual pieces of medical equipment that could then be sterilized and potentially used with patient care,” Foster said. As awareness of the technology spreads across departments, its use is expected to grow beyond swapping out broken parts, giving Sailors and Marines a way to fix problems themselves rather than waiting on outside support.
RIMPAC 2026 draws 30 nations, more than 30 surface ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, over 206 aircraft and 30,000 personnel across the Hawaiian Islands from June 24 to July 31. Billed as the world’s largest international maritime exercise, it offers rare combined training while strengthening the cooperative ties that help safeguard sea lanes. This year marks the 30th edition of a series that began in 1971.
Addressing the Supply Gap With Print-on-Demand
The Essex demonstration reflects a wider Navy push to treat additive manufacturing as an operational warfighting capability, embedding production aboard ships so crews can counter parts obsolescence and sidestep supply chains that grow slow or vulnerable in contested waters.
That strategy is playing out across the fleet. The Navy installed a Phillips Additive Hybrid system aboard USS Bataan as the first permanently implemented metal 3D printer on a ship, combining additive and subtractive methods to boost crew self-sufficiency and shorten supply-chain timeframes. NAVSEA Chief Engineer Rear Adm. Jason Lloyd framed the printers as a way to overcome obsolescence on ships and systems whose service lives are measured in decades.
The time savings can be dramatic. When the destroyer USS Halsey needed a replacement bracket for its helicopter hangar door, traditional manufacturing quoted a 40-week lead time even though the ship was set to deploy in 30 days; the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence printed and installed the part in just over two weeks.
Taken together, these efforts point to the same goal: a fleet that can make what it needs, on demand, at the edge. The Essex is one more sign that print-on-demand is shifting from novelty to necessity.
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.
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Featured image shows a digitally crewed surface vessel. Photo via Petty Officer 3rd Class Charles Harbour.
