{"id":64218,"date":"2023-02-02T18:22:12","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T18:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:39:30","slug":"shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","title":{"rendered":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ARLINGTON, Va. \u2014 The aircraft carrier construction team at HII\u2019s Newport News Shipbuilding faced a key deadline in March 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The team was on the hook to move a block of the keel for the future Enterprise weighing hundreds of tons into the dry dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipbuilders outfit these pieces, known as superlifts, <\/b>in the final assembly platform on the pier, installing the piping and wiring into these massive Lego blocks and then crane-lifting them into place in the dry dock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, a single component threatened to throw off this complex activity, Brian Fields, the vice president for Enterprise and sister ship Doris Miller, recently told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2021, the team learned one cast metal part \u2014 a critical but sensitive component Fields declined to name \u2014 would not be available until late June or early July.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI needed to put that huge superlift into the dry dock,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was one part, and I had to have it installed in the final assembly platform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waiting and installing it later \u201cwould have been significantly risky and a big cost impact,\u201d Fields added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of choosing between a schedule delay or the added expense, the shipbuilder and the Navy worked together to design, qualify and 3D print the part in just four months, meeting the March superlift deadline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though the circumstance was unusual, the Navy and its suppliers are hoping it will one day be the default, instead of the dated casting procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top Navy officials have repeatedly pointed to challenges in the submarine industrial base in particular, as well as its aircraft carrier and surface ship industrial base. The number of suppliers is dwindling even as the service would like to increase its production rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of the Virginia-class attack submarines, for instance, industrial base concerns are the sole reason the government is not boosting its procurement rate from two a year to three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matt Sermon, the executive director for the Program Executive Office for Strategic Submarines who oversees submarine industrial base issues, said the Navy isn\u2019t pursuing additive manufacturing as a novelty, but rather \u201cwe are doing this because we have to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s \u201cthe path\u201d to getting to on-time submarine construction and repairs, he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long-standing production challenges<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Sermon said Jan. 30 at an American Society of Naval Engineers conference that the industrial base struggles the most to keep up with the required capacity of heavy metal parts and components. These include castings, forgings, valves, fittings and fasteners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, he said, the Navy looked at 5,500 parts that have presented schedule challenges for new construction and maintenance availabilities for submarines and ships; six materials account for 70% of late deliveries, he said. Additive manufacturing could get more of these parts to construction and repair yards faster and more reliably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These parts have always been a challenge to the industrial base, as the fundamental metallurgy is complex and can lead to flaws. But there are fewer companies making these components today than in past decades, and that smaller base is struggling to keep up with growing demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy has developed a plan to mature the metals, printing machines and processes associated with those six materials this year, such that by March 2024 they can be printed in volume and put on submarines, Sermon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice Adm. Bill Galinis, the commander of Naval Sea Systems Command, told Defense News Jan. 12 NAVSEA is working with its warfare centers and with the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program to advance the sea service\u2019s understanding of and comfort with additive manufacturing technology and processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have that process fully matured to the point where we\u2019re able to scale additive manufacturing like I think we need to,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can do the one-off parts, and frankly, even for a reactor component, we\u2019ve built some fairly complex parts using additive manufacturing, but we haven\u2019t gotten to the point where that\u2019s scalable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine construction has already begun but will continue to grow in the coming years, even though the industrial base is already struggling with the current workload. Galinis said additive manufacturing as an alternate to castings and forgings will help industry keep the Columbia program on schedule and get the Virginia-class program back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019d like to be able to do is to identify high-volume, high-usage parts, and you have a printing capability that allows you to print those on a pretty regular basis. There\u2019s elements of private industry out there that have done some of that,\u201d he said. \u201cOur challenge right now is, one, quickly coming through the certification process, codifying what that\u2019s going to look like, and then being able to scale additive manufacturing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly what Fields is trying to do at Newport News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said castings are particularly tough for the yard, and there\u2019s a long list of cast metal parts he\u2019s struggling to procure on time and in good quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fields said the company can do the metal casting, but once employees start to machine it down to the right shape, any flaws in the metal call for either repair via welding or a restart of the whole part. These flaws aren\u2019t always visible early on, so re-casting a piece can be an unwelcome surprise to the ship construction schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll of our suppliers are struggling to get castings on time to support the ship schedule,\u201d he said. \u201cFirst-time quality is a lot better from a 3D printed part, and the cost is significantly less.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He used a JP-5 manifold as an example. This piece helps move jet fuel around the aircraft carrier and includes a cast metal part with fabricated flanges on the ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re really hard to get made properly. I\u2019ve got 28 of them right now that I\u2019m waiting for that have been cast, and every time you hydro them, they turn into sprinklers because the casting is hard to get right. And now we\u2019re weld-repairing them,\u201d Fields said. \u201cThat example of all the time and money spent trying to get those parts to me so I can get them installed on the ship on time is where I see 3D printing being able to really move the needle.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon said additive manufacturing could shorten the production timeline for certain metal pieces by an average of 80%, depending on the printer\u2019s efficiency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Fireman Dalton Garret, assigned to the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) Engineering Department, produces a computer aided draft for a three-dimensional printing project, Nov. 16, 2022. (MC2 Matthew Brown\/U.S. Navy)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Industry innovation<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

HII signed an agreement in 2017 with additive manufacturing specialist 3D Systems <\/b>to help explore potential printing opportunities at Newport News for aircraft carrier and submarine construction and repairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mike Shepard, the vice president for aerospace and defense at 3D Systems, told Defense News that while the company has its own printing hubs, the goal is not to print parts for Newport News Shipbuilding but rather to help the company integrate cutting-edge printing technology into its processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3D Systems\u2019 particular copper-nickel alloy is one area of collaboration between the two companies today. Traditional methods like casting and forging can create flaws in copper-nickel parts that slow down the production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With 3D Systems\u2019 direct metal printing process, \u201cwe\u2019re getting better properties than either conventional forgings or castings. We don\u2019t have any of the porosity issues with the [printing] approach. That means we are cost-competitive with casting and have a much lower lead time,\u201d Shepard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shepard added that the volume of parts 3D Systems is helping Newport News print is growing, \u201cbut we are just skimming the surface of the overall opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sermon and Naval Sea Systems Command\u2019s director of maritime engineering Doug Arnold, these types of industry collaborations help match new technologies to gaps in industrial capacity \u2014 but the Navy needs to ensure its rigorous engineering standards are applied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon said the aviation community and academia have already invested in significant research into additive manufacturing with certain metals, and in those cases the Navy can move forward pretty quickly. But in metals specifically geared to naval applications, including copper-nickel and some steel alloys, more research is needed on what happens when these materials are used for printing, particularly how it affects the metals\u2019 fatigue and corrosion properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arnold said the Navy and vendors <\/b>could start <\/b>using these materials to print components where these second- and third-order properties aren\u2019t as relevant \u2014 using copper-nickel for components not exposed to water and where corrosion isn\u2019t a big concern \u2014 to learn lessons printing low-risk components and buy time for researchers to better understand the finer details of using these metals in additive manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fields said HII must be especially careful with parts going on submarines, due to the added technical requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, he said, the Navy and its industry partners need to find a path forward if they want to continue or increase today\u2019s submarine production rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the pressures for the dam breaking is the customer at the end screaming \u2018I need this.\u2019 So I think that\u2019s starting to accelerate\u201d considering printed parts for submarines, Fields said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":117460,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":16,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"9":{"categories":["industry","home"],"primary_category":"industry"}}},"categories":[160,16,36],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3354],"class_list":["post-64218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-naval","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"E7U4INLUVZERNKQQGFIPMB2DZM","arc_canonical_url":"\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nShipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Defense News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Megan Eckstein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Eckstein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 1539,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Naval\",\n\t \"Newsletters\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace - Defense News\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/02\\\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Naval\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/naval\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"naval\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"description\": \"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Defense News\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/defensenews-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Defense News\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/defensenews\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace - Defense News","description":"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace","og_description":"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","og_site_name":"Defense News","article_published_time":"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00","author":"Megan Eckstein","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Megan Eckstein","Est. reading time":"8 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace","datePublished":"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/"},"wordCount":1539,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Naval","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/","name":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace - Defense News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2023-02-02T18:22:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T00:39:30+00:00","description":"Additive manufacturing could build certain metal pieces more reliably, faster and in higher volume than traditional methods, Navy and industry leaders say.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2023\/02\/02\/shipbuilding-industry-looks-to-3d-printing-to-accelerate-pace\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Naval","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/","ad_zone":"naval"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Shipbuilding industry looks to 3D printing to accelerate pace"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","name":"Defense News","description":"Covering the politics, business and technology of defense | Defense News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#organization","name":"Defense News","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/defensenews-logo-white.png","caption":"Defense News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3d-systems-certified-CuNi30-newport-news-shipbuilding-pipe-fitting-black-background-2-300ppi.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Defense News","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=64218"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64224,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64218\/revisions\/64224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=64218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=64218"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=64218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}