AML3D Secures $1.84M US Navy Contract to 3D Print Obsolete Submarine Components

3D Printing Solves Navy's Obsolete Parts Problem

Australian metal additive manufacturing company AML3D Limited has secured a contract worth approximately AU$2.61 million (US$1.84 million) to produce five high-demand, non-safety critical replacement components for use in active US Navy submarines.

The agreement was signed with BlueForge Alliance, a US nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening and sustaining the US Navy's Submarine Industrial Base. The parts in question are no longer available through the original equipment manufacturer, leaving the Navy without a conventional sourcing path.

Wire Additive Manufacturing in Action

AML3D will produce the components using its proprietary Wire Additive Manufacturing (WAM) process on the company's ARCEMY platform. Each component will be manufactured from Nickel-Aluminum-Bronze (NAB) alloy — a material AML3D has already qualified to meet US Navy specifications.

The contract follows successful US Navy hydrostatic testing of components produced using AML3D's technology, which validated the output against active service requirements. This critical step cleared the way for the production order.

A Growing Defense Portfolio

The order adds to AML3D's growing portfolio of US defense work. The company's American contracts now exceed AU$30 million in aggregate. CEO Sean Ebert described the contract as evidence that the company's technology is becoming structurally embedded in US naval procurement.

"Signing this order is a significant milestone for AML3D. It shows our advanced manufacturing technology is key to solving critical supply chain challenges for the US Navy's submarine program," Ebert said.

The company plans to expand capacity at its Ohio Technology Center and is actively pursuing entry into the UK and European markets.

The Navy's Sustainment Challenge

The bottleneck AML3D is addressing is systemic. Procurement delays in conventional supply chains are severe — submarine valves can take between six months and two years to source through legacy manufacturing. When original manufacturers no longer support aging components, the Navy has no conventional sourcing path at all.

The Navy's RESTORE lab and Additive Manufacturing Center have been increasingly turning to 3D printing to address these supply chain gaps, including reverse-engineering parts for 40-year-old Ohio-class submarines where original manufacturers no longer exist.