Media report on contract to improve design of Navy, Marine vessels
WABI, WVII and Mainebiz reported that the Office of Naval Research awarded a $5 million contract to Navatek LLC and the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center to research materials and novel manufacturing tools and methods to improve the design and construction of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps vessels. This research will explore opportunities to apply additive manufacturing (3D printing) to surface vessel design and construction.The research will develop tools and techniques to enable engineers to increase trust in additively manufactured structures, evaluate new materials, produce more complex structures, improve throughput, and reduce cost. The work will culminate in applying these technologies and tools to design unmanned surface vessels using a modular approach to vessel structural design. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with Navatek and the ONR, creating transformative knowledge in advanced manufacturing for the Navy and transferring that knowledge into high-paying, Maine-based jobs,” said Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Composites Center. Work Boat World and 3D Printing Media Network also reported on the contract.