Navy Expands 3D Printing to Frontline Fleet Operations in 2025

BETHESDA, Md. –

The Navy accelerated the transition of additive manufacturing (AM) (AKA 3D printing) from a promising capability to a warfighting capability in 2025, slashing lead times by 70 percent and solidifying strategic partnerships with AUKUS allies, which help establish the distributed manufacturing network.

Through a coordinated effort across Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB), and the private sector, the naval enterprise moved beyond testing to integrate AM components directly into the supply chain, strengthening fleet readiness and logistics resilience.

Combatant Milestones

The year’s most significant achievements involved putting AM parts onto the Navy’s most complex platforms. Huntington Ingalls Industries installed the first additively manufactured 1.5-meter (5 ft) long, 450 kg (992 lbs) metal valve manifold aboard a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, marking a critical step toward adopting the technology for surface combatants [1].

Not long after, the submarine force achieved a historic breakthrough. The Virginia-class submarine program installed a metal, 3D-printed component that industry partners described as a “giant leap” for the subsurface domain, validating that AM parts can withstand the rigorous standards required for deep-sea operations [2].

Strengthening Alliances

The expansion of AM capabilities extended beyond the U.S. Navy. International cooperation remained a central element of the Navy’s strategy, specifically through the AUKUS security partnership. In 2025, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia advanced their shared industrial goals, with a successful shipboard installation of a metal, 3D-printed part, underscoring the potential for allied interoperability and interchangeable repair capabilities [3].

Readiness and Efficiency

Driven by the need to reduce production timelines, the Navy’s adoption of AM delivered immediate logistical benefits. In one notable instance, an industry partner, Marotta, used metal, 3D printing to reduce the traditional lead time (29-weeks) by 70 percent for a critical valve aboard Navy destroyers, bypassing the traditional manufacturing bottlenecks related to porosity and part rejection rates [4].

These efficiencies were mirrored at the waterfront, where Navy maintenance centers applied AM to ship repair efforts. These organic capabilities enabled maintenance teams to deliver significant cost and schedule savings, returning ships to operations faster than conventional supply lines allowed. This single, polymer component developed by the Southeast Regional Maintenance Center (SERMC), accounted for over $300,000 in cost avoidance [5].

Joint and Industrial Integration

The utility of AM also fostered stronger joint-service collaboration. The Navy recently partnered with the United States Coast Guard on a cross-service repair, rapidly restoring a critical piece of equipment on a United States Coast Guard vessel using a polymer 3D printer installed on an in-service submarine. This effort highlighted the technology’s ability to rapidly bridge logistical gaps between the sea services [6].

Underpinning these successes is a deliberate effort to mature and scale additive manufacturing through a structured, low-risk process. NAVSEA engineering has empowered waterfront and forward-deployed maintainers to use AM for low-risk applications to support real-time maintenance needs. In this case, the Forward Deployed Regional Maintenance Center (FDRMC) Rota reduced repair times by 80% by using AM to fabricate the required part [7].

Material Specifications

NAVSEA's collaboration with academia and the industrial base is resulting in streamlined, more robust material requirement processes that have reduced testing requirements by over 60% and saved millions in qualification costs [8]. Additionally, NAVSEA has released three material specifications for additive materials (MIL-PRF-32802, MIL-PRF-32803, MIL-PRF-32804) available on ASSIST for use when specifying additive materials, with more to come [9].

Further Work

NAVSEA, in partnership with MIB, the industrial base, the Fleet, and academia, will continue the work of 2025 with more parts, more material specifications, and more examples of enhanced Fleet Readiness. Partners, such as Hunt Valve, are developing and certifying new AM parts to steadily expand the catalogue of components available to the fleet [10].

A Proven Reality

The progress made in 2025 reflects a broader shift across the naval enterprise: Additive manufacturing is no longer viewed as an emerging experiment, but as a readiness enabler fully integrated into planning, maintenance, and sustainment.

As the Navy continues to modernize the maritime industrial base, 3D printing stands as a pillar of its strategy to sustain a lethal, resilient fleet in an increasingly complex operational environment.

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Carderock

Additive Manufacturing

Navy

3D printing