Huntington Ingalls Industries has successfully used additive manufacturing for the first time to build a valve manifold assembly for a new construction aircraft carrier at HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding subsidiary.
NNS says it is integrating additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, into the shipbuilding process and is pursuing all opportunities to support construction with this process. Additive manufacturing produces objects by creating a series of consecutive layers, as opposed to “subtractive” manufacturing, which removes material to carve out an object.
By using certified 3D-printed parts, the shipyard says it has the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of vessels to the U.S. Navy by cutting lead times and improving manufacturing quality for critical components.
The valve manifold assembly, which allows distribution of a single source of fluid to multiple points on the ship, is installed in a pump room on the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN- 80). The assembly is approximately 5 feet long and weighs 1,000 pounds. NNS says it collaborated with DM3D Technology to manufacture the manifold body.
The company announced it has similar manifolds planned for the USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) and plans to use additive manufacturing instead of traditional casting methods to reduce schedule risk and improve efficiency.
NNS says this recent milestone in utilizing additive manufacturing builds on the company’s certification and approval as a supplier for additive manufacturing components on Naval Sea Systems platforms.