Rendering of the third ship in the Ford class of aircraft carriers, Enterprise (CVN 80). Photo: HIIUS-based
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ HII, a global, all-domain defence provider, has confirmed that shipbuilders at its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) have successfully installed the first 3-D printed valve manifold assembly on a new-construction aircraft carrier. The company says the use of certified additively manufactured (AM) parts has the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of vessels to the US Navy by cutting lead times and improving manufacturing quality for critical components.
The valve manifold assembly, a specialised assembly that allows distribution of a single source of fluid to multiple points on the ship, is installed in a pump room on Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80). The assembly, which is about 5ft long and weighs 1,000 pounds, saw NNS collaborate with DM3D Technology to manufacture the manifold body. \\
With the completion of this manifold on Enterprise, similar manifolds planned for Doris Miller; these will also use AM rather than traditional casting methods, ‘reducing schedule risk and improving efficiency’.
Dave Bolcar, NNS’s vice president of engineering and design, said: “What started as a proof of concept quickly turned into a tangible result that is making a meaningful difference to improve efficiencies in shipbuilding. The benefits of this innovation will extend well beyond Enterprise, as we incorporate our expertise in additive manufacturing into the fundamentals of shipbuilding.”
To date, the shipyard has created more than 55 3-D printed parts installed on both new construction vessels and those currently in the fleet, with plans to install more than 200 additional AM parts this year.