Portsmouth Naval Shipyard installs first copper-nickel flange produced via additive manufacturing on USS Washington. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) in Maine successfully integrated the 3D printed copper-nickel flange into the in-service submarine following rigorous inspection and weld qualification protocols. This initiative, directed by Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, involved a cross-departmental collaboration to certify the component for high-pressure maritime environments. The project marks the first time a public shipyard has successfully welded an additively manufactured copper-nickel part for active submarine operations.

This deployment highlights the Navy's ongoing effort to integrate additive manufacturing into the organic industrial base to solve supply chain bottlenecks for legacy components. While private sector firms like Huntington Ingalls Industries have previously utilized AM for maritime applications, this installation at a public shipyard demonstrates a move toward decentralized, on-demand repair capabilities. The use of copper-nickel, a material essential for marine corrosion resistance, underscores the technical progress in qualifying non-standard alloys for critical submarine systems. This shift reduces reliance on traditional casting and forging lead times, which currently represent a significant constraint in naval maintenance cycles.

Successful installation of this flange proves that public shipyards can meet stringent technical specifications for in-service hardware through standardized inspection and welding qualification. The next phase for PNSY involves scaling this process to include a broader library of certified AM components to improve fleet readiness. Buyers and engineers should focus on the rigorous certification workflows established here, as they provide the necessary framework for future adoption of metal AM in safety-critical defense applications.