"The US Navy is betting on 3D printing parts to speed up work on the fleet while also cutting costs after two wins last year, the service said recently. A Naval Sea Systems Command release said that additive manufacturing moved "from a promising capability to a warfighting capability in 2025." Two examples the Navy said were among the service's most significant achievements last year involved putting 3D-printed parts on its most in-demand and complex vessels."
"And in another milestone last year, HII's Newport News Shipbuilding installed a 3D printed part on a Virginia-class submarine. The part met the standards for submarine components that need to withstand operations in the deep sea. With successes making construction and repair work easier and cheaper, the Navy expects to expand 3D printing across the service as a new solution for long-standing challenges."
Additive manufacturing shifted into operational use for US naval shipbuilding in 2025, with 3D-printed metal components installed on high-demand vessels. Huntington Ingalls Industries placed a 3D-printed valve component inside a pump room on the Ford-class carrier USS Enterprise and plans manifolds for the upcoming USS Doris Miller, replacing slower casting methods. Newport News Shipbuilding also installed a 3D-printed part on a Virginia-class submarine that met deep-sea standards. These implementations reduced build and repair time and lowered costs. The Navy plans broader adoption servicewide to address long-standing construction, maintenance, and supply-chain challenges, while other services pursue similar uses for field repairs.
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