US Navy installs Phillips Additive Hybrid metal 3D printing solution on USS Bataan

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Phillips Corporation

Phillips additive hybrid machine

A hybrid metal 3D printing solution from Phillips Corporation has been installed on the USS Bataan.

The system combines Meltio laser metal deposition technology with a CNC control mill from Haas. The solution will be used for the manufacturing of spare parts and repairs on board the Bataan.

According to Phillips, the project represents a step towards demonstrating an industrially useful application in the marine sector by combining additive and subtractive manufacturing methods. Haas and Meltio have collaborated previously on projects in various industries.

The equipment was installed under a joint effort between the Commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Technology Office. Phillips says that the TM-1 platform that is included in the hybrid system has been proven to operate reliably in an afloat environment aboard several aircraft carriers. 

Integrating additive and subtractive manufacturing technologies within one system increases efficiency and reduces waste when compared with traditional machining according to Phillips.

The US Navy advanced efforts to improve self-sufficiency for deployed ships and their crews, while reducing supply chain lead times by using AM. According to Phillips, this is the first permanent installation of a metal 3D printer aboard a ship.

“The introduction of additive manufacturing into naval operations supports readiness and self-sufficiency,” said Rear Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Force Atlantic. 

Chief Engineer Rear Adm. Jason Lloyd added: “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.”

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Phillips Corporation

The Phillips Additive Hybrid system prints 316L stainless steel, a prevalent material in US Navy ship systems. According to the company, use of this material onboard naval ships 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 greater cost. 

NAVSEA engineers also installed a second 3D printer to produce polymer components onboard the Bataan, the name of which was not disclosed in a press release about the announcement. This system is said to enable 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.

The USS Bataan is multi-purpose amphibious assault ship that carries more than 2,500 sailors and marines when fully embarked and is the fifth ship of the Navy’s Wasp-class. The ship was commissioned on September 20, 1997, and is the second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name. 

In July 2022, Xerox announced that one of its ElemX 3D printing systems had been installed on the U.S. Navy's USS Essex as part of Naval Postgraduate School research, with testing taking Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022.