Posted on Oct 27, 2023
Only 3D printing can get the Navy’s submarine plan back on track, admiral says
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The U.S. Navy must 3D-print more parts if it is to build three submarines per year, a top program manager said Wednesday.
Rear Adm. Jonathan Rucker, the Navy’s lead buyer for attack submarines, said additive manufacturing has become essential for meeting construction schedules—and then keeping those new subs operating.
“Absolutely we need to have additive manufacturing,” Rucker told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing. “If you look across components on the ships—forgings, castings, fittings, valves, fasteners—we cannot meet the demand to be able to support building the submarines we need, as well as supporting sustainment, without going to additive manufacturing.”
The first 3D-printed parts are already starting to be installed, said Rucker, who led the Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine program before taking his current job last year.
“Already this year, we put the first part out of manufacturing on a ballistic missile submarine to ensure they could make their schedule. The second part we had, a critical valve that's needed, that valve was going to be two years late. We've reverse-engineered it; it is being [3D printed] as we speak. They will make it on that submarine by January to support its schedule,” he said.
Rear Adm. Jonathan Rucker, the Navy’s lead buyer for attack submarines, said additive manufacturing has become essential for meeting construction schedules—and then keeping those new subs operating.
“Absolutely we need to have additive manufacturing,” Rucker told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Subcommittee hearing. “If you look across components on the ships—forgings, castings, fittings, valves, fasteners—we cannot meet the demand to be able to support building the submarines we need, as well as supporting sustainment, without going to additive manufacturing.”
The first 3D-printed parts are already starting to be installed, said Rucker, who led the Navy’s Columbia-class ballistic-missile submarine program before taking his current job last year.
“Already this year, we put the first part out of manufacturing on a ballistic missile submarine to ensure they could make their schedule. The second part we had, a critical valve that's needed, that valve was going to be two years late. We've reverse-engineered it; it is being [3D printed] as we speak. They will make it on that submarine by January to support its schedule,” he said.
Only 3D printing can get the Navy’s submarine plan back on track, admiral says
Posted from defenseone.comPosted in these groups: 
3D Printing
Submarines
3D Printing Submarines
Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."“That supplemental continues to jumpstart when we did the study back a couple years ago, that was one area. We underestimated the opportunity that was there,” he said.
Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., raised concerns about integration and making sure everyone was collaborating, from senior defense officials to the workers who are actually building the boats.
“What I'm worried about is, the future, as we design and build things…what do we put in place, if anything, even if it's just a straw man right now, to ensure that as we get into this, the [information] sharing occurs,” Bergman said. “It's one thing for the defense ministers to get together. It's another thing for the people doing all the welding to get together.”
The Navy’s additive manufacturing effort is also part of the trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or AUKUS. Rucker reassured the congressman, noting that his office, the program executive office for attack submarines, is in the same building as the AUKUS integration office and that the Navy stood up an additive manufacturing consortium and center of excellence in Danville, Virginia.
“One of the Australian companies, it's called AML.3D, is part of that consortium. They're already trading and coordinating on how they go about the technical data packages to improve how we actually do additive manufacturing, leveraging the lessons learned they have,” Rucker said."
..."“That supplemental continues to jumpstart when we did the study back a couple years ago, that was one area. We underestimated the opportunity that was there,” he said.
Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., raised concerns about integration and making sure everyone was collaborating, from senior defense officials to the workers who are actually building the boats.
“What I'm worried about is, the future, as we design and build things…what do we put in place, if anything, even if it's just a straw man right now, to ensure that as we get into this, the [information] sharing occurs,” Bergman said. “It's one thing for the defense ministers to get together. It's another thing for the people doing all the welding to get together.”
The Navy’s additive manufacturing effort is also part of the trilateral agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States, or AUKUS. Rucker reassured the congressman, noting that his office, the program executive office for attack submarines, is in the same building as the AUKUS integration office and that the Navy stood up an additive manufacturing consortium and center of excellence in Danville, Virginia.
“One of the Australian companies, it's called AML.3D, is part of that consortium. They're already trading and coordinating on how they go about the technical data packages to improve how we actually do additive manufacturing, leveraging the lessons learned they have,” Rucker said."
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I am SOOOOOOO glad I'm out of the submarine force if this is the kind of idiot planning things.
SUBSAFE was created to prevent shortcuts like this, and this moron wants to circumvent years of safe operation AND increase costs by using unproven technologies in the most dangerous operating environment on the planet.
Absolutely insane!
SUBSAFE was created to prevent shortcuts like this, and this moron wants to circumvent years of safe operation AND increase costs by using unproven technologies in the most dangerous operating environment on the planet.
Absolutely insane!
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LTC Eugene Chu
Additive manufacturing is not an unproven technology. It has been around for decades.
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/additive-manufacturing-explained
https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/additive-manufacturing-explained
Additive manufacturing, explained | MIT Sloan
How it works, its biggest advantages, and which industries it could disrupt.
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