AML3D Ltd has announced an order for high-demand, non-safety critical replacement components used in the US Navy’s submarines. The company will use its proprietary ARCEMY technology to 3-D metal print five high-demand components that are no longer available from the original manufacturer. The order has been signed with BlueForge Alliance, a ‘US non-profit, neutral integrator, supporting the strengthening and sustainment of the US Navy’s submarine industrial base’.
This contract is valued at about AU$2.61 million and follows successful hydrostatic testing by the US Navy of ARCEMY 3-D metal printed components and is expected to run for a about 10 months, starting in the fourth quarter of the current financial year. The five replacement components will be 3-D printed using a nickel-aluminum-bronze (NAB) alloy that AML3D has already qualified to meet US Navy standards.
AML3D said this high-demand component manufacturing contract demonstrates that AML3D is ‘uniquely positioned’ to address supply chain constraints across the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial base. “AML3D’s WAM technology produces high-quality, complex components that match and exceed those supplied by traditional manufacturers but with a significant reduction in lead times. AML3D’s US scale-up strategy continues to accelerate and has already delivered US Defence-related contracts in excess of AU$30million.”
Sean Ebert, AML3D’s CEO, added: “Signing this order is a significant milestone for AML3D, as it shows our manufacturing technology is key to solving critical supply chain challenges for the US Navy’s submarine programme. These complex components are no longer supported by the original manufacturer and could not be sourced in a time and cost-effective manner from the Navy’s traditional supplier base.
“AML3D’s 3-D metal-printing technology is increasingly being embedded in the US Navy’s maritime industrial base. This contract allows us to continue to build and deepen our long-term partnership with the US Navy and supports our investment to double capacity at our US Technology Centre in Ohio. Our US scale-up strategy continues to deliver significant growth and value to AML3D and it is informing our entry into the UK market and our plans to expand into other globally significant markets across Europe.”