Adelaide-based additive manufacturer AML3D has delivered 3D-printed parts for a US nuclear-powered Virginia-Class submarine, capitalising on the fledgling AUKUS supply chain.
The prototype copper-nickel tailpiece components are valued at $156,000 and will be installed later this year. The components must first undergo testing and in-service trials on a nuclear submarine under the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base program through integrator BlueForge Alliance.
Development and testing of AML3D’s components with BlueForge have been ongoing since March 2023. The company raised $30 million in November last year to help expand in the US and prepare for market entry in the United Kingdom and Europe on the back of the AUKUS push.
The components were produced and delivered within five weeks, significantly faster than the 17-months that would be expected through traditional manufacturing, according to the company.
Defence minister Richard Marles said the opportunities for local industry stemming from AUKUS and Australia’s nuclear powered submarine program “have already started”.
“Production of a US Virginia-Class Submarine component in Australia is a great example that AUKUS is happening now, and demonstrates our commitment toward supporting expansion of the trilateral industrial base,” Mr Marles said.
AML3D officially opened its US headquarters in Ohio last December, installing one of its 3D metal printing ARCEMY systems, with a second to be installed early this year.
Of the $30 million raised by ARCEMY last November, $12 million was earmarked for building and expanding the production capacity of its US Technology Centre in Ohio. Up to $3 million will also be spent on its research and development program.
AML3D chief executive Sean Ebert said that over the last two years of working with the US Navy and its partners, the company has “created a successful model that includes cross-continental coordination, information sharing” and deployment of its ARCEMY technology.
“We have also completed several alloy testing and characterisation programs including copper-nickel, which allows us to supply components to the US nuclear submarine program,” Mr Ebert said.
An AML3D metal 3D printing system is currently fully operational at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Virginia.
The company has also sold an ARCEMY system to the Tennessee Valley Authority, the largest publicly-owned utility in the US, and has signed an agreement with Boeing to supply airplane parts.
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