US shipbuilding firm Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has successfully installed a 3D printed valve manifold assembly into a new US Navy aircraft carrier. The United States’ largest military shipbuilder has installed over 55 3D printed parts to-date at its Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division. It plans to deploy at least another 200 by the end of 2025.
HII’s 3D printed assembly was integrated into the US Navy’s third Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVN 80). Measuring approximately five feet long and weighing 1,000 pounds, the large-scale component was fabricated with the help of metal DED additive manufacturing specialist DM3D. It was installed at the NNS facility in Virginia and is reportedly the first 3D printed part of its kind to be used in US aircraft carrier construction.
