UNIST, 3DFactory to develop 3D printed ship propellers for U.S. Navy
The Ulsan-based partners will use wire arc additive manufacturing to replace sand casting for large marine components
UNIST’s 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center and startup 3DFactory were selected for South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) “2026 Second Shipbuilding and Marine Industry Technology Development Project,” aimed at producing 5-meter-class ship propellers with metal additive manufacturing. The 54-month project totals 11 billion won ($7.74 million), including 8.5 billion won ($5.98 million) in government funding.
Large ship propellers are currently sand cast, a slow process that wastes material and resists design changes. The project will instead apply wire arc additive manufacturing, melting and stacking metal wire with arc heat to build complex shapes without a mold.
UNIST will lead design for additive manufacturing work to control wall thickness by position and produce complex curved surfaces. It is also developing reverse deformation correction technology using artificial intelligence to analyze design, layering and inspection data, predicting thermal deformation and offsetting warping, with the goal of an autonomous, on-site process.
The partners intend the technology for the U.S. Navy’s vessel maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) market and for procuring discontinued parts. UNIST and 3DFactory presented the work to U.S. officials on July 23 at the Korea-U.S. Joint R&D Technology Exchange Forum in Washington.
If the propellers earn class certification, UNIST said the project could become a demonstration model for MASGA, the Korea-U.S. shipbuilding cooperation initiative. Ulsan’s city government agreed to support commercialization and overseas sales channels.
“The core of this project goes beyond manufacturing 5-meter-class parts to verifying DfAM and AI-based reverse deformation correction technology at full scale,” said Kim Nam-hoon, head of the UNIST 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center.
“By combining Ulsan’s shipbuilding industry base with UNIST’s research capabilities, we will create a new standard for marine equipment manufacturing and develop it into a leading technology model for Korea-US shipbuilding cooperation.”
