AML3D, a developer of industrial metal 3D printing technology, has recently debuted the largest custom ARCEMY system ever built. The system was installed at the US Navy’s AM Center of Excellence in Danville, which was set up and is operated by Austal USA. Bringing the system online triggers payment of the final 50% of the contract value.

Austal USA leads and operates the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia, which currently operates a large-scale ARCEMY 6700 system – delivered in early 2024. The AM CoE is the US Navy’s flagship for AM components to meet current shipbuilding requirements, ship repair, and the construction of the next generation of ships and boats. This second custom ARCEMY system, just installed and commissioned in the AM CoE, utilizes an 11,000kg positioner and a linear rail of more than 4m – creating a build volume up to approximately 35m³.

Austal USA is supporting the Navy and Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD) investment in AM to significantly improve the defense supply chains and expand its post-delivery support and sustainment offerings. It is also using AM to support multiple shipbuilders, maintenance providers, the US Navy, and the US Coast Guard across a broad range of military ships deployed in the US and its allied fleets.

“I have recently returned from two weeks in the US. While there, I inspected our new US facility in Ohio and met with key stakeholders, including US senators, commercial and defense partners, and additive manufacturing education and training bodies. The US Government’s ‘Make Shipbuilding Great Again’ initiatives are set to expand, by a factor of three, the potential US Defense markets AML3D’s additive manufacturing technology can address. Additive is now endorsed for use to support US Navy shipbuilding and missile manufacturing. These are markets AML3D already had plans to access directly and through our relationships with key suppliers to the US Navy Marine Industrial base, such as Austal USA,” said Sean Ebert, CEO of AML3D. “There is increasing confidence within the US defense and commercial sectors in additive manufacturing’s ability to address supply chain constraints and significantly improve supply chain efficiency and quality. This, in turn, gives me great confidence that AML3D will see an acceleration in US defense contract wins and further success in accessing additional sectors such as US utilities, aerospace, and oil and gas.”