The US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base (MIB) Program, shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB), and Lincoln Electric have confirmed an investment to accelerate the integration of additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, into the construction of the navy's nuclear-powered submarines.
Lincoln Electric said America must deliver one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and two Virginia-class attack submarines each year by 2028, while sustaining the current fleet. Meeting this demand therefore requires innovative methods to increase throughput, reduce bottlenecks, and strengthen supply chains, and the partners said AM will provide solutions to these challenges.
"The MIB Program is charged with strengthening and expanding the shipbuilding and repair capacity our nation needs for deterrence and warfighting," said Matt Sermon, Executive Director of the MIB Program.
"By investing in additive manufacturing at scale, we are helping ensure our industrial base has the tools, technologies, and resilience required to meet the navy’s mission."
Through MIB Program funding, GDEB will source components from Lincoln Electric’s new large-scale metal AM capability. Lincoln Electric said this represents its largest government-funded AM capital investment to date, located at its facility in Cleveland.
"3D-printed parts have the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of submarines to the US Navy by cutting lead times for critical components," added Ken Jeanos, Vice President of Supply Chain, Materials and Logistics at GDEB.