While the maritime industry puzzles over just how the United States plans to revive its moribund merchant shipbuilding capacity, one shipyard is creating its own processes.
Defense contractor HII (NYSE: HII) announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division successfully 3D-printed and installed a major valve manifold assembly on an aircraft carrier under construction at the Virginia shipyard.
The 5-foot-long, 1,000-pound manifold is designed to distribute fluid shipwide from a pump room on the Gerald R. Ford-class vessel Enterprise.
The builder in a release said the use of certified 3D-printed parts has the potential to speed construction and delivery of military and merchant vessels while improving manufacturing quality for critical components.
The shipyard collaborated on the manifold with DM3D Technology, a specialist in 3D metal printing based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Plans call for the production of similar manifolds for the carrier Doris Miller (CVN 81) by the same means instead of traditional casting methods.
The Army, Navy and Department of Defense began working with 3D printing in 2012, evolving from basic prototyping to production of parts for vehicles, aircraft, weapons and other applications. The technology has been especially useful for older equipment where needed parts are long out of production.
“What started as a proof of concept quickly turned into a tangible result that is making a meaningful difference to improve efficiencies in shipbuilding,” said Dave Bolcar, NNS vice president of engineering and design, in the release. “The benefits of this innovation will extend well beyond Enterprise as we incorporate our expertise in additive manufacturing into the fundamentals of shipbuilding.”
The builder was previously certified and approved as a supplier of additive manufacturing components on Naval Sea Systems (NAVSEA) platforms. To date, the shipyard has created more than 55 additively manufactured parts for both new construction vessels and those currently in the fleet, with plans to install more than 200 additional parts this year.
Find more articles by Stuart Chirls here.
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