US Navy installs on board the first Phillips Additive Hybrid metal 3D printing solution powered by Meltio and Haas

The Spanish multinational Meltio -a disruptive wire-laser metal 3D printing technology manufacturer- together with Phillips Corporation – a global manufacturing solutions leader based in the US – have worked together to install for the first time on a US Navy ship a metal 3D printing solution for the onboard manufacture of spare parts and repairs. The Phillips Additive Hybrid powered by Haas took the laser metal deposition technology of Meltio and integrated it with the world-renowned Haas CNC vertical machining centers control mill onboard USS Bataan ship.

This new project represents a further step towards demonstrating an industrially useful application in the marine sector thanks to the accessible wire-laser metal 3D printing technology developed by Meltio. Meltio collaborates with Haas on other hybrid system projects in other industries and in different countries. The Hybrid system provides subtractive and additive manufacturing. The US Navy is using a combination of these both in this particular project for USS Bataan ship.

The equipment, installed under a joint effort between the Commander, the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Technology Office, includes the Phillips Additive Hybrid system, which integrates a Meltio wire-laser metal deposition head on a Haas TM-1 computer numerical control mill. The Haas TM-1 platform has been proven to operate reliably in an afloat environment aboard several aircraft carriers. Integrating the Meltio deposition head with the Haas TM-1 provides both an additive and subtractive manufacturing capability within the same system – increasing efficiency and reducing waste when compared with typical machining.