Huntington Ingalls, 3D Systems Partner to Develop Additive Manufacturing Tech for Shipbuilding

Huntington Ingalls Industries‘ Newport News Shipbuilding division and 3D Systems are co-developing additive manufacturing or 3D printing technologies that may be applied in naval shipbuilding.

HII said Thursday the partnership aims to support the implementation of 3D printing across the U.S. Navy and further improve manufacturing methods for the future of naval ships.

To aid development, 3D Systems is providing its ProX DMP 320 metal additive manufacturing system designed to produce alloy parts for marine vessels.

“One of our goals is to provide leadership to our supplier base that will help accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing within our industry, which may improve efficiencies and quality,” Charles Southall, vice president of engineering and design at HII-NNS.

Efforts done under the partnership also contribute to HII-NNS’ Integrated Digital Shipbuilding initiative, which aims to provide easier access to information through the use of various modern technologies.