Submarine Additive Manufacturing by U.S. Navy (NAVSEA): status and timeline

Milestones

Next · Printed parts become standard on new submarines

AM Center of Excellence opens in DanvilleOct 2022Complete.
120 parts in development, 20 installed in submarinesJun 2026Complete.
Printed parts become standard on new submarinesTarget 2027Current milestone.

Most important updates

Navy reduces submarine delays by 1,400+ days through additive manufacturing30 Jun 2026
Navy opens Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Danville, VirginiaOct 2022

Upcoming

2027Printed parts become standard on new submarines (next)

Current obstacles

Part qualification and certificationEach design requires multi-year qualification to meet submarine specifications, slowing integration.
Scaling production capacityIndustrial metal 3D printing capacity must expand to meet submarine production demands.

Physics limits

3D-printed metal properties differ from forged partsPrinted metals may differ mechanically, requiring longer qualification than traditional forgings.
Production speed limitationsComplex parts take hours or days to print, limiting manufacturing speed even with advanced equipment.

How it works

3 parts

Design

Digital design of submarine parts

Engineers design components digitally, then 3D-print them in metal using industrial equipment.

Printing

Metal additive manufacturing

Metal powder fuses layer-by-layer to build parts impossible to machine or forge quickly.

Quality

Submarine-grade testing

Printed parts undergo rigorous testing to meet Navy specifications for submarine use.

Spec sheet

Spec	Submarine Additive Manufacturing
Parts in development	~120^R (reported)
Parts installed	20^R (reported)
Delay eliminated	1,400+ days^R (reported)
Lead time cut	Up to 70%^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Tue 30 Jun

Major: Navy reduces submarine delays by 1,400+ days through additive manufacturingPressHardware

Oct 2022

Major: Navy opens Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Danville, VirginiaPressManufacturing

About U.S. Navy (NAVSEA)

The team behind Submarine Additive Manufacturing

U.S. Navy (NAVSEA)

Submarine advanced manufacturing, 3D printing

U.S. Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command operates an Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Danville, Virginia. It scales 3D-printed metal components for Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarines.

Navy simultaneously builds two submarine classes: Columbia-class ballistic and Virginia-class attack boats.
NAVSEA placed ~120 additive-made parts in development, installed 20 in submarines, removed 1,400+ delay days.
Advanced manufacturing reduces lead times 70%, overcoming casting and forging bottlenecks.

navsea.navy.mil (opens navsea.navy.mil)Company profile →

Founded: 1842184 yrs
Headquarters: United States
Status: Government
Valuation: government
Works in: ManufacturingMetal 3D printing
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 30 Jun 2026checked 11 Oct
Partners: Austal USA (opens austal.com)Defense Logistics Agency (opens dla.mil)

Spec

Submarine Additive Manufacturing

Parts in development

~120^R (reported)

Parts installed

20^R (reported)

Delay eliminated

1,400+ days^R (reported)

Lead time cut

Up to 70%^R (reported)