US builds mini submarines using 3D printing technology

3D printing technology will help the US Navy save significant costs and time in designing and manufacturing submarines.

Submarines produced using 3D printing technology by the US Navy. Photo: US Navy.

The US Navy cooperated with pOak Ridge National Laboratory successfully developed a submarine using 3D printing technology in just 4 weeks, Verge reported on July 29.

Experts from TThe US Naval Weapons Center (NSWC) and the Carderock Division's Jamming Technology Laboratory (DTL) haveUsing a large-scale industrial 3D printer, Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM), six separate sections of the hull were fabricated from carbon fiber and assembled into a complete 9.14 m long mini-submarine.

The entire production process took four weeks, with the first week devoted to design and the remaining three weeks spent printing the hull sections. It is the largest 3D printed product the US Navy has ever owned.

3D printing technology has beenapplications in many civil fields. The armies of many countries around the world now see this technique as a solution to save time and costs in the production of weapons and equipment, for example.such as parts of fighter planes, grenades.

The US Department of Energy said that producing a similar submarine using conventional methods would take 3-5 months and cost $600,000-800,000, twhile the 3D printed version is 90% cheaper and also takes much less time.

Because it is just a trial versionSo the newly built submarine was unable to operate.The second version of this submarine model is currently under development and will undergo underwater tests in the near future.

The US Navy hopes the 3D-printed submarine will be operational and mass-produced in 2019.

According to VNE