AML3D and Austal USA deliver first portable ARCEMY AM machine to US Navy
Austal USA, a subsidiary of Australia’s Austal Limited, and AML3D Limited, headquartered in Edinburgh, Australia, have announced the completion and delivery of AML3D’s first portable, small-edition ARCEMY Directed Energy Deposition (DED) Additive Manufacturing machine to the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia.
Austal USA, which operates the AM CoE, ordered the ARCEMY machine mounted within a 6m shipping container to enable rapid and flexible deployment. The machine will be used to accelerate technology development and component production at the Danville facility, alongside two existing large-scale ARCEMY X machines.
The successful completion of factory acceptance testing and installation of the portable ARCEMY machine triggered the final 50% payment of the approximately AU $1.2 million (US $871,437) order. Pre-mounting the machine within a shipping container is intended to simplify redeployment as Austal USA expands its Additive Manufacturing operations in Danville.
According to AML3D, reinstalling the portable machine in the field could take one to two days compared to two to three weeks for a fixed machine. The company also noted that this flexible deployment capability could support forward deployment applications across multiple branches of the US military.
“It is exciting to continue to build our relationship with Austal USA. The success of this first portable, containerised system demonstrates how AML3D can flex its technology to meet multiple US military and industrial manufacturing use cases,” AML3D CEO Sean Ebert explained. “The addition of the portable ARCEMY brings Austal USA’s fleet of customised ARCEMY systems to three at the US Navy’s Danville Center of Excellence. And we still are only just beginning to access the huge opportunity to support the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base outlined in the Letter of Intent we received from the US Navy that indicated a need for up to 100 Additive Manufacturing systems and 3,400 additively manufactured parts by 2030.”
ARCEMY’s additive manufacturing technology is already used to manufacture components qualified to US military specifications. The portable ARCEMY machine is intended to provide point-of-need Additive Manufacturing capabilities, enabling the production of high-quality parts with reduced lead times.
“At Austal USA, our growing relationship with AML3D reflects a shared vision to redefine what’s possible in advanced manufacturing,” stated Don Hairston, Austal USA VP. “The introduction of a containerised, fully deployable Additive Manufacturing system is a game-changer: it not only increases our capability at the US Navy AM CoE, but it also allows us to demonstrate production directly at the point of need. Together, we’re not just enhancing supply chains – we’re transforming them, delivering next-generation capability exactly where and when it matters most.”
