# SculptPrint large-format wire-arc printing by Lincoln Electric Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing/sculptprint-waam Frontier: [Manufacturing](https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md) · Field: Wire & sinter metal printing · Company: [Lincoln Electric](https://technooptimist.io/companies/lincoln-electric.md) Stage: Deploy (4 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2025-10-10, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Replace castings and forgings that take many months to arrive with printed parts delivered in weeks, starting with the Navy submarine program, where late parts hold up boats. Status: 26 cells in 24/7 production; four Navy co-funded cells printing submarine parts since late 2025. Next milestone: Naval propulsion parts up to 20,000 lb (BPMI program) ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | Acquires Baker Industries (machining, Michigan) | 2019 | | | Done | Bechtel Plant Machinery picks Lincoln for naval parts | 15 Feb 2024 | | | Done | Printed Soo Locks lever arm installed | 1 Mar 2024 | | | Done | Four SculptPrint 1500 cells for Electric Boat open | Oct 2025 | | | Current | Naval propulsion parts up to 20,000 lb (BPMI program) | | | ## Most important 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)) ## Current obstacles - **Naval qualification part by part**: Printed submarine and reactor-plant parts need test data the Navy accepts before each one replaces a casting. - **No aluminium or titanium**: Lincoln doesn't offer them yet; it says the business case isn't there. ## Physics limits - **Rough, oversize surfaces**: Weld beads are millimetres wide, so parts come out rough and oversize and must be machined; fine features and thin walls are beyond the process. - **Heat builds stress**: Each pass re-melts and reheats the layers below, so large parts build residual stress and can distort; deposition must be paced and parts may need heat treatment. ## How it works ### Welding as printing: Beads of molten wire A robot arm runs a welding torch that melts steel or nickel wire and lays beads layer by layer into a near-final shape. ### Positioner: The part moves too A two-axis servo positioner turns and tilts the part under a six-axis ABB robot so the torch can reach every face. ### Path planning: SculptPrint OS Lincoln's slicer turns the CAD model into torch paths and weld settings, with monitoring during the build. ### Scan and machine: From rough to exact Every part is laser-scanned against CAD, then machined to final size; big parts are printed in sections and welded. ## Spec sheet | Spec | SculptPrint large-format wire-arc printing | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Wire-arc printers in Cleveland | 26, running 24/7 | reported | | Largest part handled | 20,000 lb | reported | | Single print size | About an 8-ft cube | reported | | SculptPrint 1500 envelope | 526 × 478 × 440 cm | reported | | Lead time vs casting | Up to ~80% shorter | reported | | Speed vs casting/forging | Up to 8x faster (company) | reported | | Alloys | Steels, 17-4 PH, nickel 617/625, Invar 36, 70/30 Cu-Ni | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About 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. - 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. - Founded: 1895 - Headquarters: US - Status: public - Listing: LECO (NASDAQ) - Website: https://www.lincolnelectric.com - People: Mike Whitehead (President, Americas Welding) - Partners, customers, investors: General Dynamics Electric Boat (customer); Bechtel Plant Machinery (partner); US Army Corps of Engineers (customer) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/lincoln-electric.md ## Related programs Everything in Manufacturing: https://technooptimist.io/manufacturing.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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