The US Navy is continuing to roll out its additive manufactured programme onboard an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, offering potential solutions to supply chain issues that have plagued the US military in recent years.
The chilled water valve (Model MV286A) was installed in April 2025 aboard the unnamed US Navy warship as part of a service-sponsored initiative to integrate additive manufacturing technology into fleet operations under the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium (MSTIC).
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“We remain committed to partnering with the US Navy on advanced manufacturing techniques that push the technical envelope of performance,” said Bryan Begane, vice president, Naval Systems, Marotta Controls, which manufactured the valve.
In a 30 July 2025 release, Marotta said the initiative began as a “targeted response” to longstanding supply chain challenges.
Marotta selected the MV286A valve body as a candidate for redesign due to its historically long procurement time—29 weeks for a traditional sand-cast brass body—and significant quality control issues related to porosity and part rejection rates.
In producing the component, the company’s engineering team replaced the brass valve body with a requalified version produced via Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) using Inconel 625, a corrosion-resistant nickel superalloy.
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By GlobalDataAccording to the company, the result was a 70% reduction in lead time and a higher-performance component which met US Navy requirements, such as high-impact shock per MIL-S-901E and vibration per MIL-STD-167-1.
NAVSEA approved the qualification reports, allowing shipboard integration. Three valves were installed as part of the MSTIC effort.
According to a 2024 report by GlobalData into the use of 3D printing in aerospace and defence, the sector is forecast to reach $70bn by 2030.
