Jamie Bennet
HII‘s Newport News Shipbuilding division collaborated with General Dynamics Electric Boat and advanced marine components manufacturer Ammcon to employ 3D printing in the production of parts for nuclear-powered submarines.
GDEB and Ammcon helped NNS create a copper-nickel deck drain assembly that was later installed on the Virginia-class submarine Oklahoma, HII announced Monday.
The deck drain was selected as the candidate for 3D printing as part of the companies’ objective to use marine-based alloys as a substitute for traditional copper-nickel castings. GDEB and Ammcon contributed to modeling and proof-of-concept work, while Ammcon was responsible for final machining and assembly.
Dave Bolcar, NNS vice president of engineering and design, said his organization is working to make additive manufacturing a part of mainstream shipbuilding.
He went on to note that the collaboration with GDEB and Ammcon was made possible by NNS engineers, who worked to deploy 3D printing with marine alloys for shipbuilding.
