Phillips Federal supplies 12 Meltio hybrid AM machines to US Navy
Phillips Corporation, Federal Division (Phillips Federal), headquartered in Hanover, Maryland, USA, has supplied the US Navy’s Schoolhouse in Danville, Virginia, with twelve hybrid metal Additive Manufacturing machines delivered in partnership with BlueForge Alliance, the Navy’s procurement and program management partner.
In addition to the twelve Phillips Hybrid Manufacturing Systems, the investment included twelve Markforged X7 composite AM machines, providing sailors with hands-on experience across metal hybrid manufacturing, composite AM, and production-ready workflows. The new equipment will support Navy personnel participating in the Afloat Training Program and help develop the skilled advanced manufacturing workforce required to strengthen fleet readiness and sustainment capabilities.
The Phillips Hybrid machines are built on Haas TM-1P CNC platforms and integrated with Meltio’s Directed Energy Deposition (DED) technology. By combining precision CNC machining and metal AM in a single platform, the machines enable sailors to manufacture new components, repair worn parts, restore high-value assets, and add material only where needed.
ccording to Phillips Federal, this integrated approach provides greater speed and flexibility than traditional manufacturing methods while reducing material waste and shortening lead times. For Navy personnel, these capabilities provide hands-on experience with production-ready technologies designed to support fleet sustainment, depot maintenance, and expeditionary manufacturing operations.
Together, the new machines are intended to create a comprehensive advanced manufacturing training environment that mirrors the production capabilities increasingly being deployed throughout the US Navy. By providing hands-on experience with both metal hybrid manufacturing and composite AM technologies, the Danville Schoolhouse is intended to help prepare sailors to manufacture, repair, and sustain critical components closer to the point of need.
BlueForge Alliance executed the procurement on behalf of the US Navy, working closely with Phillips Federal to deliver a standardised, production-ready manufacturing solution aligned with fleet sustainment and workforce development objectives.
The Navy’s broader Deployed Advanced Manufacturing initiatives emphasise point-of-need production and workforce development through the integration of polymer and metal AM across shipboard and shore-based operations, priorities directly supported by the Danville Schoolhouse training environment. Shipboard success, including the production of a replacement sprayer plate aboard USS Bataan, underscores the importance of training sailors on production-ready manufacturing technologies before they deploy.
“This effort reflects a highly collaborative approach between the Navy, BlueForge Alliance, Meltio, Markforged, and Phillips Federal to deliver real-world manufacturing capability for the fleet,” said Bobby Keithley, Vice President of Sales & Product Strategy, Phillips Federal. “By training sailors on the same hybrid and additive systems they will encounter aboard ship, the Navy is accelerating readiness, improving sustainment outcomes, and strengthening its advanced manufacturing workforce. Hybrid manufacturing provides a powerful advantage by combining additive and subtractive processes, enabling sailors to produce new components, repair worn parts, and reduce dependence on traditional supply chains when operating in contested or remote environments.”
Gabriel Ortiz, Americas Channel Manager at Meltio, shared, “It is difficult to think of a more challenging environment than operating at sea, and Meltio’s technology could not be in better hands than the team at the Navy’s Danville Schoolhouse, supported by Phillips Federal.”
“As a retired sailor, I have a special appreciation for what this technology can accomplish when placed in the hands of well-trained sailors and Marines. Equipping the next generation of naval maintainers with advanced manufacturing capabilities will strengthen fleet readiness and help ensure critical parts can be produced whenever and wherever they are needed,” Ortiz added.
