Inside Lincoln Electric’s Mission to 3D Print Components for Nuclear Submarines

The United States Navy faces a formidable challenge: by 2028, it must deliver one Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine and two Virginia-class attack submarines each year, all while maintaining its existing fleet. To meet this ambitious goal, the responsibility falls to the Maritime Industrial Base (MIB), established in 2024 to spearhead the Navy’s efforts to revitalize America’s shipbuilding and repair capabilities. Achieving these production targets will require innovative solutions to reduce bottlenecks, increase throughput, and strengthen supply chains. As part of this effort, the MIB Program is investing in General Dynamics Electric Boat and Lincoln Electric to integrate additive manufacturing into the construction of nuclear-powered submarines.

With MIB Program funding, General Dynamics Electric Boat will source critical components from Lincoln Electric’s new large-scale metal additive manufacturing facility. Ken Jeanos, vice president of supply chain, materials and logistics for General Dynamics Electric Boat, underscored the challenge of obtaining materials: “Material availability continues to drive construction delays across the submarine enterprise,” he said, adding, “3D-printed parts have the potential to accelerate construction and delivery of submarines to the U.S. Navy by cutting lead times for critical components.”

Mr. Mike Whitehead, Lincoln Electric’s President of Americas Welding, Ms. Larissa Smith, Director, Advanced Manufacturing, DRPM, Maritime Industrial Base Program, U.S. Navy, and Mr. Ken Jeanos, VP, Materials and Supply Chain, General Dynamics Electric Boat, lead the ribbon cutting to celebrate the investment of four SculptPrint™ 1500 additive manufacturing cells to support the production of critical submarine components.

How Will The Parts Be 3D Printed?

To meet this demand, Lincoln Electric will produce these using four of its state-of-the-art SculptPrint machines, located at its Additive Solutions facility in Cleveland, Ohio. SculptPrint systems employ wire-arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) or gas metal arc directed energy deposition (GMA-DED), which are designed for large, mission-critical metal components such as those used in submarine construction. The technology delivers high deposition rates, enables large-scale builds, and provides precise process control. This makes it ideal for producing dense, fully fused metal parts with mechanical properties equivalent to or better than those of cast or wrought material.