Brenda Marie Rivers
The U.S. Navy has accepted a 3D-printed metal component from Huntington Ingalls Industries for installation on the service branch’s USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.
HII said Tuesday its Newport News Shipbuilding division presented the piping assembly during a ceremony that took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
The hardware is the first nuclear-powered carrier part manufactured through the use of 3D printing technology and will undergo a one-year evaluation once installed on CVN 75.
“The advancement of additive manufacturing will help revolutionize naval engineering and shipbuilding,” said Charles Southall, vice president of engineering and design at Newport News.
“It also is a significant step forward in our digital transformation of shipbuilding processes to increase efficiency, safety and affordability,” Southall added.
Naval Sea Systems Command conducted development and testing efforts with industry partners last year in order to certify 3D printing technical standards.
