Phillips to deploy containerised hybrid AM at RIMPAC 2026
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Originally reported by Metal AM
Phillips Corporation, headquartered in Hanover, Maryland, will deploy a containerised hybrid metal additive manufacturing system during the Rim of the Pacific Exercise 2026 (RIMPAC 2026), supporting the US Navy through the Naval Postgraduate School's CAMRE distributed AM network. The system integrates a Haas TM-1P CNC machine with Meltio Blue wire-laser metal DED technology aboard USS Essex (LHD-2), combining additive and subtractive capabilities in a single workflow. Brian Kristaponis, President of Phillips Additive Manufacturing Solutions, stated the deployment aims to evaluate how advanced manufacturing can solve real sustainment challenges for the fleet by producing or repairing critical metal components closer to the point of need.
This deployment fits the defense vertical's politically accelerated adoption wave of 2025-26, where expeditionary manufacturing is shifting from concept to operational demonstration. The containerised hybrid approach addresses a persistent pain point in military logistics: the time and cost of obtaining replacement parts in contested or austere environments. By pairing a standard CNC platform with Meltio's wire-DED process, Phillips avoids the qualification burden of standalone metal AM while retaining the repair and restoration capability that subtractive-only systems lack. The CAMRE distributed experiment, which links manufacturing assets across multiple locations, directly tests whether such systems can reduce maintenance delays and improve operational readiness - a question that has moved from academic interest to programmatic priority.
For the US Navy, the practical question is whether this containerised cell can survive shipboard vibration, salt spray, and power variability while producing parts that meet military standards. Phillips must demonstrate not just the technical integration but the workflow - from digital file to finished, machined component - within the exercise's compressed timeline. If successful, this could accelerate the Navy's procurement of deployable AM systems beyond the current experimental phase, but the burden of proof remains on field reliability, not lab performance.
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