The U.S. Navy continues to show its interest in additive manufacturing, especially for its submarines. This time, Curtiss-Wright’s EMS Division has announced that it has delivered what it considers to be the first submarine component with a 3D printed impeller that will be installed in a U.S. Navy vessel. The part was made with the help of Sintavia.
Curtiss-Wright Corporation is a business that provides solutions to the aerospace and defense markets. Meanwhile, the EPD business, which falls under the EMS division, provides naval and maritime technological expertise sand products, becoming a leading supplier of pumps and components for surface and submerged naval fleets. At the same time, Sintavia is the world’s first all-digital aerospace and defense component manufacturer. The two worked as well with Bechtel Plant Machinery Inc, which as part of the U.S. Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program provides nuclear power plant components for submarines and aircraft carriers. Together, they developed, manufactured, tested, and supplied the submarine component which is the first to use a qualified, metal 3D printed impeller.
An artist’s rendition of a Columbia-class ballistic submarine (photo credits: Curtiss-Wright)
“Sintavia has proven to be an invaluable industry partner, and we are excited about the opportunity to further solidify our partnership by increasing the number of additively manufactured parts for this application and other critical naval defense components,” expanded David Micha, Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the EMS Division. “In addition, we are proud to be providing the first critical service equipment utilizing an additively manufactured component to the U.S. Navy’s submarine program and look forward to expanding these capabilities in the future to more efficiently serve our customer.”
In the press release, it is not mentioned what 3D printing process was used. However, Sintavia has a number of technologies available at its headquarters, with most printers using some form of laser powder bed fusion. This is in line with what the U.S. Navy has previously used on its submarines, although DED and liquid metal jetting are also being implemented for various applications.
In this case, the reasoning behind the use of additive manufacturing continues to be clear: it enables the development of products that are often difficult or costly to manufacture. This means that it can prevent delays in the supply chain, a major concern, especially for the manufacturing of American submarines. The companies also note that AM is expected to provide a reliable and high-quality domestic source of these types of parts, proven with this successful part.
Sintavia has a number of metal 3D printing capabilities (photo credits: Sintavia)
“We would like to thank both Curtiss-Wright and BPMI for the opportunity to leverage Sintavia’s additive technology in the production of this critical component,” concluded Lindsay Lewis, Sintavia’s Corporate Vice President. “Leading-edge manufacturing processes such as AM will continue to be key differentiators in developing superior defense components in the years to come.” You can read more in the official press release HERE.
What do you think of this first submarine component with a 3D printed impeller? What future AM projects do you think we can expect from the U.S. navy? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Cover Photo Credits: Curtiss-Wright