---
title: "U.S. Marines built and sea-tested a 3D printed 7-meter raiding craft"
url: https://www.voxelmatters.com/u-s-marines-built-and-sea-tested-a-3d-printed-7-meter-raiding-craft/
date: 2026-08-28
modified: 2026-08-28
lang: en
author: "Joseph Caron-Dawe"
description: "Marines from the Intermediate Repair Company, 3rd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group successfully tested a 3D printed 7-meter foam raiding craft at White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa, Japan..."
categories:
  - "Defense"
  - "Maritime Industry"
tags:
  - "future"
image: https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/US-Marines-raiding-craft-02-640x427.jpg
word_count: 363
---

# U.S. Marines built and sea-tested a 3D printed 7-meter raiding craft

Marines from the Intermediate Repair Company, 3rd Maintenance Battalion, 3rd Marine Logistics Group successfully tested a [3D printed 7-meter foam raiding craft](https://www.voxelmatters.com/scalable-3d-printed-uncrewed-boat-tested-by-marin/) at White Beach Naval Facility in Okinawa, Japan during Exercise Valiant Shield 26.

![U.S. Marines built and sea-tested a 3D printed 7-meter raiding craft](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/US-Marines-raiding-craft-01-340x191.jpg)

The craft ran in both manned and unmanned configurations, completing autonomous waypoint navigation using a control system from Fort Robotics and a 300-horsepower (224-kW) Mercury outboard. The test took place towards the end of June.

The build formed part of RAMFORCE (Resilient Advanced Manufacturing for Contested Environments), hosted by the Office of the Under Secretary for Research and Engineering, and had engineering support from Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock.

The craft was made with three pieces of equipment: a CNC router, a large-format polymer 3D printer, and a spray foam and coating system. Materials were selected for worldwide availability so units could source them locally.

An earlier 5-meter prototype took roughly 16 working hours and $11,000 in materials, and scaled estimates put a 12-person team at one 5-meter platform every four hours and one 7-meter platform every six hours.

“The shape of the hull is not the goal. [It's the manufacturing that we're trying to showcase](https://www.voxelmatters.com/marines-3d-print-coast-guard-boat-part-in-hours-during-korea-exercise/),” said Marissa Stecko, Mechanical Engineer at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock.

“We are engineers training them on how to operate these printers,” said Cindy Waters, Senior Science and Technology Manager at Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock.

![U.S. Marines built and sea-tested a 3D printed 7-meter raiding craft](https://www.voxelmatters.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/US-Marines-raiding-craft-03-340x227.jpg)

Marines also worked with an nScrypt nRugged system for circuit card repair during the exercise.

“This piece of machinery takes up-close photos of circuit cards. Once the circuit card is mounted and cataloged, the nRugged has multiple tool heads capable of replacing components, repairing electrical runs and creating entirely new electrical runs,” said Ryan Grillo, Staff Sergeant with Intermediate Repair Company, 3rd Maintenance Battalion.

“As a force we are only largely, and generally, aware of additive and subtractive manufacturing techniques and products, but RAMFORCE is not just about advanced manufacturing; it is about integration. On their own, each event is fascinating; combined across commodities they are game changing,” added Daniel Krake, Major and Company Commander of Intermediate Repair Company. “We will be trained, manned and equipped to deploy these field-ready technologies inside the First Island Chain.”