NAVSEA Partners with Johns Hopkins APL to Advance AM for Critical Missions

For critical military applications, metal additive manufacturing has been questioned for concerns over porosity, mechanical reliability and reproducability. However, those issues have proved to be addressable, and defense organizations from around the world have gone on to adopt the technology. The U.S. has recently seen headlines about DARPA investing millions in additive manufacturing and the Navy partnering with Velo3D, to name a few. Just last week, Johns Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) announced its partnership with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to implement additive manufacturing.

Specifically, APL is assisting NAVSEA in its adoption of laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). Through extensive studies and testing that involve NAVSEA’s technical team, APL’s researchers are proving that additive manufacturing is not just viable, but essential, to NAVSEA’s future. According to Michael Presley, an additive manufacturing engineer in APL’s Research and Exploratory Development Department, people are hesitant to adopt the technology because “most of the previous literature painted a picture of inconsistency.” In response, APL is striving to change that perception.

Additive manufacturing can enable repairs to be made at sea (Photo Credit: NAVSEA)

APL’s Research

APL researchers have conducted numerous studies that speak to the reliability of LPBF technology. In August of 2023, they published a study on variability in the mechanical properties of additively manufactured stainless steel. The study proved that additively manufactured components can maintain performance levels comparable to traditionally manufactured parts. In July of 2024, they investigated the stability of Ti-6Al-4V mechanical properties across LPBF vendors and platforms, showing that industry-wide consistency is achievable. In October 2024, they published a study that demonstrated that precise control over process parameters eliminates worries over porosity.