The United States Navy faces a formidable challenge: by 2028, it must deliver one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and two Virginia-class attack submarines each year, all while maintaining its existing fleet. To meet this ambitious goal, the responsibility falls to the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB), established in 2024 to spearhead the Navy’s efforts to revitalize America’s shipbuilding and repair capabilities. Achieving these production targets will require innovative solutions to reduce bottlenecks, increase throughput, and strengthen supply chains. As part of this effort, the MIB Program is investing in General Dynamics Electric Boat and Lincoln Electric to integrate additive manufacturing into the construction of nuclear-powered submarines.
With MIB Program funding, General Dynamics Electric Boat will source critical components from Lincoln Electric’s new large-scale metal additive manufacturing facility. Ken Jeanos, vice president of supply chain, materials and logistics for General Dynamics Electric Boat, underscored the challenge of obtaining materials: “Material availability continues to drive construction delays across the submarine enterprise,” he said, adding, “3D-printed parts have the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of submarines to the U.S. Navy by cutting lead times for critical components.”
Mr. Mike Whitehead, Lincoln Electric’s President of Americas Welding, Ms. Larissa Smith, Director, Advanced Manufacturing, DRPM, Maritime Industrial Base Program, U.S. Navy, and Mr. Ken Jeanos, VP, Materials and Supply Chain, General Dynamics Electric Boat, lead the ribbon cutting to celebrate the investment of four SculptPrint™ 1500 additive manufacturing cells to support the production of critical submarine components.
How Will The Parts Be 3D Printed?
To meet this demand, Lincoln Electric will produce these using its four state-of-the-art SculptPrint machines, located at its Additive Solutions facility in Cleveland, Ohio. SculptPrint systems employ wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) or gas metal arc directed energy deposition (GMA-DED), which are designed for large, mission-critical metal components such as those used in submarine construction. The technology delivers high deposition rates, enables large-scale builds, and provides precise process control. This makes it ideal for producing dense, fully fused metal parts with mechanical properties equivalent to or better than those of cast or wrought material.
What also sets Lincoln Electric apart is its high degree of vertical integration. The company produces everything in-house, from wire feedstock and power sources to process software and controls, giving them oversight of quality, consistency, and performance. This minimizes supply chain risk and ensures reliability at every stage of production.
Which Parts Will Be 3D Printed?
The applications for WAAM in submarine production are extensive. According to Lincoln Electric, the technology is well-suited for structural and hull components, propulsion components, complex joints and fittings, and other components that are difficult, expensive, or time-consuming to cast or forge. In the submarine sector, applications often focus on low-volume, high-value components where lead-time reduction, material utilization, improved first-time quality and design flexibility yield significant benefits.
Lincoln Electric’s additve manufacturing solutions (Photo Credits: Lincoln Electric)
Qualification Challenges
Of course, printing the parts is only part of the process: qualifying them for use presents another challenge. One key hurdle is integrating additive components into existing design codes, procurement specifications, and certification pathways established by organizations such as NAVSEA. To address this, Lincoln Electric is working closely with government, prime contractors, and industry partners to develop material datasets, qualification builds, and digital process records that support formal acceptance of WAAM parts for naval programs.
Already, Lincoln Electric has multiple materials approved by NAVSEA and commercial qualification authorities, establishing a strong foundation for deploying WAAM technology in critical defense applications. Ongoing efforts are focused on expanding the list of approved materials and procedures to encompass additional alloys and geometries suited for submarine components.
Ongoing Government Investment in AM
This initiative builds on several years of collaboration between Lincoln Electric and the U.S. Navy. Since 2022, the company has supported multiple naval programs and suppliers, but the MIB Program investment represents its largest government-funded AM capital investment to date.
“This Maritime Industrial Base investment is a pivotal step to further unlock AM capabilities, enabling the defense industry to address complex supply chain challenges with innovative, efficient solutions,” added Jeanos. “This partnership expands the use of AM and other innovative technologies that Electric Boat’s engineering and procurement teams have been working on for several years.”
As the U.S. Navy works to meet its ambitious production goals, additive manufacturing could play a vital role in strengthening the nation’s industrial base. By supporting the adoption of technologies like WAAM, programs such as MIB are helping modernize shipbuilding, improve supply chain resilience, and ensure that America’s submarine fleet is ready for the challenges ahead.
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*Cover Image: A Columbia class submarine from General Dynamics Electric Boat. Photo Credit: General Dynamics Electric Boat