University of Maine launches 3D printed boat for maritime manufacturing
The 30-foot 3Dirigo X builds on a 2019 prototype and drew federal and defense officials to Hampden, Maine
The University of Maine has launched a 30-foot, 3D printed boat that researchers say could help manufacturers build vessels faster, cut the need for expensive molds and adapt designs more quickly for commercial and defense use.
The vessel, 3Dirigo X, was designed and manufactured at UMaine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center and built to handle offshore conditions at speeds approaching 40 knots.
University of Maine System Chancellor Dannel Malloy, UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy, center executive director Habib Dagher, U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and Keith DeVries, Manufacturing Technology Director at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, were all in Hampden for the launch and an on-water demonstration.
3Dirigo X builds on UMaine’s original 3Dirigo, unveiled in 2019, which demonstrated that a boat of its size could be produced using large-scale 3D printing and earned three Guinness World Records. The printing rate has increased from about 20 pounds per hour when the research began to about 500 pounds per hour today.
“What’s different today, again, is the fact that we can model and design vessels,” Dagher said. “We have developed technologies to design vessels that can withstand the kinds of extreme environments in the open ocean. Today is a big milestone for our research and development projects. There is more work to do to continue to optimize the manufacturing process and the material properties.”
UMaine is also preparing to open its Factory of the Future within a new 55,000-square-foot facility, which Dagher said federal backing helped make possible. “The Factory of the Future will allow us to significantly expand our capabilities and reach a deposition rate of 1,000 pounds an hour,” he said.
Collins said the launch showed what the research could mean for American manufacturing and national security. “This really is a great day for the University of Maine, for American manufacturing and for our national security,” she said. “Three Dirigo X represents Maine ingenuity at its best — practical, innovative, forward thinking, hard working and focused on solving problems of national importance.”
DeVries said the vessel now moves into on-water testing to evaluate its durability in Atlantic conditions before informing future builds. “Digital manufacturing allows us to build the digital twin,” he said. “It enhances our design cycle. It enhances our test modeling and iteration so that the next copy is that much stronger than what we had today.”
