# Lincoln Electric

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/lincoln-electric
Cleveland maker of welding equipment and wire that also runs what it calls the world's largest wire-based metal 3D printing platform, printing multi-ton steel and nickel-alloy parts that would otherwise wait months for a casting.

## In brief

- 26 robotic wire-arc printers in Cleveland run 24/7; one print can reach about an 8-ft cube.
- Four Navy co-funded SculptPrint 1500 cells (Oct 2025) print submarine parts for Electric Boat.
- Printed a 6,000-lb Soo Locks lever arm in about 3 months against an 18-month casting quote.

## Facts

- Founded: 1895
- Headquarters: US
- Status: public
- Listing: LECO (NASDAQ)
- Website: https://www.lincolnelectric.com
- Frontiers: [Manufacturing](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md) (Wire & sinter metal printing)

## Programs

- [SculptPrint large-format wire-arc printing](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/sculptprint-waam.md) (Manufacturing): Deploy; next: Naval propulsion parts up to 20,000 lb (BPMI program). 26 cells in 24/7 production; four Navy co-funded cells printing submarine parts since late 2025.

## Technical approach

- **Own wire, own robots: Welding know-how as a printer**: Builds its printing cells in-house except the robot arm, and makes its own welding wire.
- **Software: SculptPrint OS**: Its own slicer turns CAD into torch paths, with in-process monitoring so engineers can step in mid-build.
- **Print, then machine: Near-net shape plus finishing**: Parts print slightly oversize, are laser-scanned against CAD, then machined at Baker Industries in Michigan.

## Open problems

- **Qualifying printed naval parts** (active research): Each printed part type must earn Navy acceptance before it replaces a casting or forging.

## Latest updates

- **10 Oct 2025**: Navy, Electric Boat and Lincoln Electric open four large wire-arc printing cells for submarine parts. Four SculptPrint 1500 wire-arc cells in Cleveland, funded partly by the Navy's Maritime Industrial Base Program, will print large metal parts for Electric Boat. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/navy-electric-boat-and-lincoln-electric-open-four-large-wire-arc-a463f757.md) · [original source](https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/large-scale-am-unlocks-new-capabilities-in-u-s-nuclear-submarine-production-245159/))
- **1 Mar 2024**: Printed 6,000-lb steel lever arm installed at the Soo Locks after an 18-month casting quote. A cracked 12-foot lever arm on the Soo Locks' ship arrestor was replaced with a wire-arc printed part in high-strength low-alloy steel. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/printed-6-000-lb-steel-lever-arm-installed-at-the-soo-locks-after-an-18-dd740f81.md) · [original source](https://3dprint.com/324351/when-castings-take-18-months-how-3d-printing-helped-fix-the-soo-locks/amp/))
- **15 Feb 2024**: Bechtel Plant Machinery picks Lincoln Electric to print naval propulsion parts up to 20,000 lb. Bechtel Plant Machinery, a prime contractor for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, chose Lincoln Electric for a development program to print large propulsion components. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/bechtel-plant-machinery-picks-lincoln-electric-to-print-naval-e4892161.md) · [original source](https://mmsonline.com/news/lincoln-electric-partners-with-bechtel-plant-machinery-to-support-us-navy))

## Partners, customers and investors

- General Dynamics Electric Boat (customer): Sources printed submarine parts from four SculptPrint cells in Cleveland.
- Bechtel Plant Machinery (partner): Development program to print naval propulsion parts up to 20,000 lb (2024).
- US Army Corps of Engineers (customer): Printed replacement lever arm for the Soo Locks, installed March 2024.

## People

- Mike Whitehead, President, Americas Welding

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