US Navy Installs 24 Hybrid Manufacturing Systems at Virginia Training Schoolhouse

The US Navy is putting 24 new manufacturing systems inside a training schoolhouse in Danville, Virginia, as part of a push to build additive manufacturing skills across the fleet. The equipment mix includes 12 Phillips Corporation hybrid manufacturing systems and 12 Markforged X7 composite 3D printers, all aimed at sailors enrolled in the Afloat Training Program.

The installation gives trainees hands-on access to both subtractive and additive workflows in one place. The Phillips systems combine CNC milling with metal deposition capabilities, which lets students machine a part, build up material, and finish the piece in a single setup. The Markforged X7 printers add continuous carbon fiber reinforcement to the mix, teaching students to produce end-use composite brackets and tooling that can survive shipboard conditions.

Additive manufacturing has moved from novelty to operational necessity in naval logistics. Ships at sea cannot wait six weeks for a spare part to arrive from a supplier. With the right design files and a capable printer, a crew can print a replacement bracket, coupling, or sensor housing in hours. The Danville schoolhouse is designed to make that capability standard rather than exceptional.

The Phillips systems integrate Haas TM-1P CNC hardware with Meltio Directed Energy Deposition technologies in one platform. That combination lets students machine new parts and repair worn components without changing machines. Markforged's X7 line has been gaining traction in defense because its parts can pass flame, smoke, and toxicity tests required for shipboard use. Together, the two platforms cover a wide range of production scenarios sailors will actually encounter at sea.

The Navy has been steadily expanding its additive manufacturing footprint. Naval Sea Systems Command published a roadmap calling for every major shipyard and deployable unit to have certified AM technicians by the end of the decade. Installations like the Danville training center are the physical step toward that goal.

With 24 systems now operational, the schoolhouse can run multiple cohorts without bottlenecks. Fleet demand for AM-trained sailors is outpacing old classroom capacity. Shipboard success stories, including production of a replacement sprayer plate aboard USS Bataan, show why training happens before deployment. The next phase will likely involve equipping actual ships with similar printers and creating a pipeline from Danville straight to the fleet.