The US Navy (USN) announced that, for the first time, has permanently installed a 3D printer capable of producing metal components onboard one of its military ships, setting the way for the fleet to much more rapidly and effectively maintain vessels at sea. The ship selected was the amphibious ship USS BATAAN, based on the timing of its maintenance period as well as the fact the vessel had enough space for the new machine. The USS BATAAN is indeed a multi-purpose WASP-class Amphibious Assault Ship (LHD 5), flagship of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) of the same name. The printer size indeed cannot be defined man portable, it is similar in size to an SUV, weighing more than 2 t and standing 2 m tall, 2 m back to front and 2.5 m wide. In accordance with Jim Pluta, additive manufacturing program manager for Naval Sea Systems Command, the USN has already temporarily proven the 3D printer utility on aircraft carriers and submarines, but the USS BATAAN is the first to permanently receive a metal-based printer. The ship is also going to embark a 50 kg polymer-based printer. Both printers will provide supplementing auxiliary parts for many systems onboard without taking days or weeks for ordering and delivering a new part to the ship, the new one will be available in few hours without costing much money. In accordance with the USN speakers, before using 3D-printed components onboard a ship, the fleet requires approval from Naval Sea Systems Command. The metal printer selected for USS BATAAN uses a “wire welding” system to manufacture components, reducing the usage of metal powders and the risk for the crew during long periods at sea. Considering the experience of the new generations using 3D printers while in high school, the ship just designates five sailors for learning how to operate the new printers as train the trainers, and its command team expected to train the rest of the crew pretty soon.

Follow us on Telegram and Youtube.