ASC and Austal have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate the use of additive manufacturing across Australia’s naval programs. Announced at the 2025 Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition in Sydney, the partnership focuses on strengthening the domestic AM supply chain and expanding workforce skills to support both Collins Class and Virginia Class submarines. The collaboration will also scale the use of metal 3D printing in shipbuilding and sustainment while introducing training programs to upskill technicians and engineers in advanced manufacturing technologies.
“Additive manufacturing offers transformative potential for Australia’s maritime industry, enabling faster production, improved part performance, and greater flexibility in shipbuilding, maintenance, and sustainment,” said Danielle Bull, Chief Capability Officer of ASC. She explained that ASC is already exploring ways to integrate AM further into submarine sustainment. Bull added that joining forces with Austal will accelerate those efforts across the broader Australian supply chain.
HMAS Waller, a Collins-class submarine, in Sydney Harbour. (Photo Credit: Royal Australian Navy)
Austal’s Experience in Additive Manufacturing
Austal contributes deep additive manufacturing experience through its U.S. operations. The company’s Advanced Technologies division manages the U.S. Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in partnership with BlueForge Alliance, where teams work on qualifying and scaling printed components for submarine and ship platforms. This experience gives the partnership a strong technical foundation as Australia looks to expand AM adoption across naval programs.
“This partnership builds on our long-term investments into advanced manufacturing,” said Glenn Callow, Chief Technology Officer at Austal. He noted that as early as 2020, Austal had worked with partners to align 3D printing technologies with the demands of its maritime customers. Callow emphasized that this new partnership will continue efforts to uplift Australia’s shipbuilding and sustainment capability across the supply chain.
Strengthening Sovereign Naval Capability
Don Hairston, Vice President for Submarines and Advanced Technologies at Austal USA, noted that the collaboration will allow the Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence to share its expertise and lessons learned with ASC, Austal Australia, and their AM partners. He highlighted the value of transferring knowledge gained through U.S. Navy programs. According to Hairston, this exchange will help strengthen supply chain resilience for defense applications.
For Australia’s naval sector, the ASC–Austal MoU marks a coordinated push to embed additive manufacturing into critical sustainment and production workflows. The partnership is expected to help modernize processes across shipbuilding and submarine maintenance. As it develops, it will support a more sovereign, agile, and technologically advanced maritime manufacturing ecosystem.
Collins Class Submarine Docked for Maintenance (Photo Credit: ASC)
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*Cover Image: Left to right: Austal USA Vice President Business Development & External Affairs, Lawrence Ryder, ASC Chief Capability Officer Danielle Bull, and Austal Australia Chief Technology Officer, Dr. Glenn Callow. (Photo Credit: Austal)