Industrial 3D Printing Solutions for Marine Robotics & Components

HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions is a global leader in industrial 3D printing technology, enabling designers and developers of marine and offshore equipment, vessels and platforms to accelerate product lifecycles and bring innovative designs to production faster. HP’s advanced additive manufacturing solutions reduce design constraints, shorten lead times and simplify the creation of complex and durable components for demanding maritime environments.

With a strong legacy of 2D printing, HP applied its know-how to 3D and developed HP Multi Jet Technology, empowering the unmanned system with unprecedented levels of innovation and customization ability.

The UUV industry comes with specific technical challenges, and HP’s solutions are developed to address them in a practical way:

Performance: Isotropic part strength ensures consistent mechanical properties in all directions. Critical for pressure-resistant UUV components
Complex geometry: Design freedom can enable complex, weight-optimized geometries that improve hydrodynamics and integration of internal channels.
Water tightness: Multi Jet Fusion can deliver dense, sealed parts with near-zero water absorption. Ideal for sinking components and long-term reliability.

Trusted AM Solutions for Demanding Ocean-Going & Maritime Applications

Parts on Demand

HP Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology can be integrated seamlessly to your existing workflow. Ideal for both large components or large runs of smaller parts, HP has a worldwide network of contract manufacturers that can provide guidance to each individual case. The end user can send their CAD file and get their parts printed with the quality and standard expected from HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions.

HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology

HP’s Multi Jet Fusion (MJF) technology enables manufacturers to design and produce highly complex components without the limitations of traditional manufacturing methods. By combining exceptional design freedom with production-grade materials, the technology allows engineers to create lightweight yet highly durable parts that deliver outstanding mechanical performance for hard-wearing marine and offshore applications.

Utilizing a unique multi-agent and multi-pass process and controlling the properties of each individual voxel in every print, MJF allows you to combine fine detail with optimal mechanical properties, creating complex geometries that are impossible to produce with CNC machining.

Multi Jet Fusion also supports rapid iteration, allowing new concepts to be developed, tested and refined in days rather than weeks. This significantly reduces development time for autonomous marine systems, subsea equipment, oceanographic instruments, vessel components and offshore infrastructure while enabling economical production of low-volume or customized parts.

Featured Solution: HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series

Industrial 3D printing for robust marine & offshore components

The HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series is an industrial additive manufacturing platform designed to deliver consistent, high-quality production of robust 3D-printed components. Combining exceptional repeatability with fast production speeds, the system enables manufacturers to move seamlessly from prototyping into serial production while maintaining tight dimensional accuracy and outstanding mechanical properties.

The capabilities of this powerful printer can be enhanced further with HP’s 3D Process Development package. The Process Development workflow allows you to customize and fine-tune critical process parameters according to specific application requirements, and to analyze and iterate until your parts are exactly optimized. The final settings can then be sent to the HP Jet Fusion 5600 to ensure the highest levels of repeatability at scale.

The HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series is ideal for the production of marine robotics components, underwater vehicle structures, sensor housings, instrumentation enclosures, vessel hardware and offshore equipment parts, enabling organizations and OEMs to shorten development cycles while improving overall product performance.

Learn more about the HP Jet Fusion 5600 Series 3D Printing Solution

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HP Additive Manufacturing Solutions:
Marine & Subsea Case Studies & Applications

Modular UUVs

UUV (unmanned underwater vehicle) technology developer Framework Robotics creates modular systems for a wide range of marine applications including oil and gas, defense, and renewable energy. HP MJF technology allows the company to overcome the delamination, waterproofing and longevity issues faced by FDM-printed components, while ensuring that they can provide faster turnaround times for their clients.

Long-Endurance Autonomous Surface Vehicles

Seasats uses HP Multi Jet Fusion technology to manufacture more than 60 production components for its Lightfish autonomous surface vehicle, enabling rapid design iteration, low-volume production and fast integration of new payloads without the tooling costs associated with conventional manufacturing. The lightweight, durable printed parts also help streamline assembly and reduce supply chain complexity.

The approach has enabled one-day turnaround times for new components while supporting increasingly capable ASVs undertaking missions of up to 73 days, including successful voyages between San Diego and Hawaii.

High-Performance Racing Yacht Components

Working with AMufacture, a contract manufacturer specialized in marine applications, HP Multi Jet Fusion technology was used to produce a lightweight, watertight manifold for a 52-foot carbon fibre racing yacht. The highly complex PA12 component was designed to withstand sustained pressures of up to 20 bar while meeting demanding weight and performance requirements that would have been difficult to achieve using conventional manufacturing methods.

The finished part was delivered in just six days, allowing the customer to meet a critical ten-day project deadline while reducing lead times without compromising quality, functionality or reliability.