3D Printer Installation onboard USS Bataan

In January 2023, Spanish multinational Meltio, a wire-laser metal 3D printing technology manufacturer, together with Phillips Corporation, a global manufacturing solutions leader based in the US, worked together to install a metal 3D printing solution to manufacture spare parts and repair tools on onboard US Navy ship, the USS Bataan. The Phillips Additive Hybrid powered by Haas took the laser metal deposition technology of Meltio and integrated it with the Haas CNC vertical machining centers control mill onboard the ship. ASSEMBLY Audible met with the CEO of Meltio to discuss facets of Meltio's 3D printing technology and the collaborative Navy project.

The equipment, installed under a joint effort between the Commander, the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Technology Office, includes the Phillips Additive Hybrid system, which integrates a Meltio wire-laser metal deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mill. The Haas TM-1 platform has been proven to operate reliably in an afloat environment aboard several aircraft carriers. Integrating the Meltio deposition head with the Haas TM-1 provides both an additive and subtractive manufacturing capability within the same system – increasing efficiency and reducing waste when compared with typical machining.

Phillips Additive Hybrid system integrates a Meltio wire-laser metal deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mil. Photo courtesy Phillips Corporation

NORFOLK, VA—October, 19, 2022 Kenya Latham coordinates the on load of a 3D printer aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan. This is the first Naval Sea Systems Command-sponsored hybrid system permanently installed on a US Navy ship and will permit the capability to additive manufacture steel components locally. Photo courtesy Darren Newell

The Phillips Additive Hybrid system prints 316L stainless steel, a prevalent material in US Navy ship systems. While stainless steel additive manufacturing onboard naval ships is new, it also 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 significantly greater cost.

Meltio's Engine 3D printing benefits are twofold – it maximizes operational availability and reduces the demand on traditional and Navy-specific supply chains. Additionally, NAVSEA engineers installed a second 3D printer to produce polymer (plastic) components onboard Bataan. This printer enables the ship's crew to print any NAVSEA-developed 300+ AM Technical Data Packages that define the required design configuration and procedures to manufacture a part and ensure it performs properly.

About the USS Bataan:

Bataan, a multi-purpose amphibious assault ship, carries over 2,500 Sailors and Marines when fully embarked and is the fifth ship of the Navy's Wasp-class ships. She was commissioned on September 20, 1997, and is the second US Navy warship to bear the name. CVL-29 was an Independence-class small aircraft carrier that was commissioned in November 1943. After serving in both World War II and the Korean conflict, CVL-29 was decommissioned in 1954.

About Phillips Corporation:

Phillips represents a robust combination of equipment, applications expertise, and services well-suited to meet the growing range of present and future manufacturing application requirements. Phillips has had a 30-year global relationship with Haas Automation, which has produced over 30,000 installed machines. Learn more about Phillips at www.phillipscorp.com

About Meltio:

Meltio takes metal additive manufacturing to the next level by developing high-performance, affordable, easy-to-use metal 3D printing solutions using wire-laser metal 3D printing technology. Learn more about Meltio at www.meltio3d.com.

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