Australian company AML3D has completed the commissioning of its largest custom ARCEMY system to date at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia. The system was installed in partnership with Austal USA, which operates the facility on behalf of the US Navy. With the successful commissioning, the final installment of the contract value is due, the total amount of which was not specified.
The new system is based on AML3D’s Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology and significantly expands AM CoE’s production capabilities. It has a positioner with a load capacity of 11,000 kilograms and a linear guide with a length of over four meters. This gives the system a construction volume of around 35 cubic meters – sufficient for large-format, metallic components in a maritime context. The system complements a smaller ARCEMY 6700 system that has been in operation since the beginning of 2024.
With the expansion of the AM CoE, Austal USA is pursuing the goal of establishing additive manufacturing as an integral part of the supply chain for shipbuilding, maintenance and repair. The center will not only strengthen supply security, but also shorten production times and improve the traceability of components. Additive manufacturing is also seen as a strategic component for future ship classes and munitions production.
AML3D CEO Sean Ebert said: “The successful delivery the custom ARCEMY system to Austal USA (refer to ASX announcement November 20,2023) aligns with our ambitions to expand the range of U.S. defense work we do. AML3D already has a track record of deploying our WAM Additive Manufacturing technology in support of the U.S. Navy submarine industrial base. Those successes are translating to an adoption of additive manufacturing technology in the wider U.S. Marine Industrial Base, covering shipbuilding and munitions.
I have recently returned from two weeks in the U.S.. While there, I inspected our new U.S. facility in Ohio and met with key stakeholders, including U.S. senators, commercial and defense partners and additive manufacturing education and training bodies. The US Government’s ‘Make Shipbuilding Great Again’ initiatives are set to expand, by a factor of three, the potential U.S. Defense markets AML3D’s additive manufacturing technology can address. Additive is now endorsed for use to support US Navy shipbuilding and missile manufacturing. These are markets AML3D already had plans to access directly and through our relationships with key suppliers to the US Navy Marine Industrial base, such as Austal USA.
There is increasing confidence within the U.S. defense and commercial sectors in additive manufacturing’s ability to address supply chain constraints and significantly improve supply chain efficiency and quality. This, in turn, gives me great confidence that AML3D will see an acceleration in U.S. Defence contract wins and further success in accessing additional sectors such as U.S. Utilities, Aerospace and Oil and Gas.”
Metal Binder Jetting: The Key to Efficient Tool Manufacturing? - Exclusive Insights from INDO-MIM
Fill out the form and get instant access to an exclusive webinar on HP's Metal Binder Jetting 3D printing technology with exciting insights from INDO-MIM.Subscribe to our Newsletter
3DPresso is a weekly newsletter that links to the most exciting global stories from the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.
