The additive manufacturing industry partners housed at the AMCoE, led by Austal USA’s Advanced Technologies team, hosted the CNO’s delegation for a briefing and tour of the state-of-the-art facility. The visitors personally experienced the advancements being made in additive manufacturing (AM) qualification activities to build capacity for serial part production which will grow and activate the maritime industrial base. Capabilities on display, by both seasoned AM industry professionals and students training at the Center, include additive manufacturing (laser powder bed fusion, wire-arc DED, and friction stir), heat treatment, metrology and inspection, post processing, and non-destructive, mechanical, and metallurgical testing.
“We are grateful to Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle for his strong support of the Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Center of Excellence and Austal USA’s key contributions to the maritime industrial base,” said Gene Miller, president of Austal USA, who participated in both the meeting and the tour. “His engagement underscores the importance of advancing additive manufacturing, expanding serial production capacity, and preparing the skilled workforce needed to support the Navy’s future.”
“This incredible facility is producing civilian students as well as Navy students who are getting a mastery level of understanding of advanced manufacturing, how to actually do subtractive manufacturing and milling, how to do non-destructive testing, and all other sorts of things necessary to learn how to sustain our Navy for years to come,” stated Adm. Daryl Caudle, Chief of Naval Operations. “I’m completely impressed with what we’re doing here. It’s tied to building the force we need across our Navy and so many critical areas from our shipyards to our regional maintenance facilities, all to become more self-sufficient as a Navy through these types of schools.”
The AMCoE advances scalable additive manufacturing by developing industry-ready technical data, connecting suppliers with component OEMs, strengthening the Maritime Industrial Base, enabling serial production, and preparing the workforce to support the Navy’s AM mission. The team at the AMCoE have produced over 1,100 additively manufactured articles, more than 30 of which have been installed on Navy and Coast Guard vessels, and have added 70 vetted suppliers to their AM supply chain.
