Thousands of tons of submarines could be made much faster as US eliminates industrial bottlenecks

A new step taken by the U.S. Navy is expected to accelerate the production of submarines. The step accelerates warfighting capability and eliminate industrial bottlenecks. The Navy has also released new technical requirements on August 11 designed to rapidly scale the use of metallic 3D-printed materials across the submarine enterprise. The Navy also highlighted that the new standards strip away legacy administrative and engineering hurdles, clearing the launchpad for Additive Manufacturing (AM) to be integrated directly into submarine construction, maintenance, and combat-ready repair at unprecedented speeds. New requirements allow engineers to bypass redundant approvals It was also revealed that the newly approved Project Peculiar Document (PPD) 802-8436658 establishes a streamlined, repeatable technical pathway to substitute legacy cast and wrought parts with 3D-printed metallic materials. Historically, swapping a traditional component for an AM equivalent triggered a number of slow, part-by-part engineering assessments, manual drawing modifications, and repetitive first-article testing. The new requirements remove this bottleneck, allowing engineers to bypass redundant approvals and field advanced components at the speed of relevance, according to the U.S. Navy.“This is exactly the type of barrier we must remove if we are going to unlock 21st century technology to get our submarine programs on plan and ahead of the threat,” said Vice Adm. Robert Gaucher, Director, Submarine Programs. “Additive manufacturing gives us a tool to get after supply chain constraints and part obsolescence by reducing the time it takes to get critical capability to our warfighters. This directive hands our engineers, shipbuilders, and suppliers authority to execute at scale.” For submarine construction, 3D printing serves as critical pressure valve For submarine construction and sustainment, 3D printing serves as a critical pressure valve—providing more immediate, alternative sourcing for long-lead parts, bypassing defunct suppliers, and neutralizing obsolescence risks before they impact fleet readiness. Additively manufactured metal components are already performing flawlessly in deep-sea operations aboard USS Washington and USS Nevada. The new framework build on these operational victories to deploy AM materials deeper into the platform, according to a press release. The Navy also highlighted that moving at high speed does not mean cutting corners or sacrificing quality or safety. For high-consequence applications—including Level I material control and SUBSAFE systems—AM materials remain subject to applicable Navy quality requirements, augmented by rigorous tracking and non-destructive inspection.“Moving faster does not mean accepting less,” Gaucher emphasized. “As we scale our advanced manufacturing capabilities, we will relentlessly enforce the safety and quality standards our crews rely on. Our objective is clear: embrace advanced manufacturing to solve hard problems, update or removal of legacy processes, and deliver quality submarines safely.”The Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) Program Office’s Advanced Manufacturing team worked directly with Navy enterprise stakeholders, shipbuilders, and suppliers to forge these requirements. Their mission is to scale advanced manufacturing technologies to drive industrial throughput, fortify the supply chain, and maximize fleet availability. The requirements are authorized for immediate operational use across submarine design, construction, overhaul, and repair, as per the release.Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox.Prabhat, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, is a tech and defense journalist. While he enjoys writing on modern weapons and emerging tech, he has also reported on global politics and business. He has been previously associated with well-known media houses, including the International Business Times (Singapore Edition) and ANI.