US Navy installs first metal 3D printer onboard USS Bataan
The Phillips Additive Hybrid system integrates a Meltio3D laser metal wire deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mill
The US Navy has advanced efforts to improve self-sufficiency for deployed ships and their crews, and has reduced supply chain lead times by leveraging additive manufacturing through the installation of the first metal 3D printer – permanently installed aboard a naval ship (USS Bataan).
“The introduction of additive manufacturing into naval operations supports readiness and self-sufficiency,” said Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander of Naval Surface Force Atlantic.
The equipment, installed under a joint effort between the Commander, the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Technology Office, includes the Phillips Additive Hybrid system, which integrates a Meltio3D laser metal wire deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mill. The Haas TM-1 platform has been proven to operate reliably in an afloat environment aboard several aircraft carriers. Integrating the Meltio3D deposition head with the Haas TM-1 provides both an additive and subtractive manufacturing capability within the same system – increasing efficiency and reducing waste when compared with typical machining.
The Phillips Additive Hybrid system prints 316L stainless steel, a prevalent material in US Navy ship systems. While stainless steel additive manufacturing onboard naval ships is new, it also represents an advancement in providing sailors with industrial-level manufacturing capabilities to print individual parts for systems that previously have not been readily available without procuring the entire system at a significantly greater cost.
The 3D printer works to maximize operational availability and reduces the demand on traditional and Navy-specific supply chains. Additionally, NAVSEA engineers installed a second 3D printer to produce polymer components onboard USS Bataan. This printer enables the ship’s crew to print any of the NAVSEA-developed 300+ AM Technical Data Packages that define the required design configuration and procedures to manufacture a part and ensure it performs properly.
“These printers have the ability to help the Navy overcome both obsolescence issues for ships and systems that have service lives measured in decades and directly contribute to enhanced operational availability of our systems and ships,” said NAVSEA Chief Engineer Rear Adm. Jason Lloyd.
NAVSEA subject matter experts and industry partners are working to test, evaluate, and field the most advanced AM technologies to improve readiness and increase capabilities, as demonstrated on USS Bataan – a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship, that carries more than 2,500 Sailors and Marines when fully embarked.
NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy’s six system commands, responsible for the building, buying, and maintaining of ships, submarines, and systems for the US Navy. NAVSEA’s Technology Office is leading multiple areas of research and development in the evaluation of AM equipment, using data not only from deployed assets but also from shoreside lab activities, to gain a critical understanding of how the equipment will perform under shipboard conditions. These evaluations will ensure that the current and future shipboard implementations of this equipment are fabricating parts repeatedly and reliably, thus allowing sailors to address an increasing number of applications.
