BATAAN TURNS CONCEPT TO REALITY WITH 3-D PRINTER

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Bradley Rickard | 230605-N-OM737-1035 ATLANTIC OCEAN (June 5, 2023) Machinery Repairman 1st Class Cory Hover demonstrates the software used to design the sprayer plate used to cool, lubricate, and maintain oil pressure for the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan’s (LHD 5) #4 deballasting air compressor. The sprayer plate was completely designed and fabricated aboard the ship using the newly added Haas TM1 Additive Manufacturing Hybrid CNC Machine. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Bradley Rickard)  

UNITED STATES

06.12.2023

Story by Seaman Darren Newell 

USS Bataan (LHD 5)

Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) Repair Division Sailors recently utilized newly installed additive manufacturing equipment to for a much needed shipboard repair.
The ship’s machinery repairmen produced a stainless steel sprayer plate, which was used to repair one of the ship’s de-ballasting air-compressors (DBAC). The piece was fabricated using the ship’s additive manufacturing equipment, comprised of a Haas TM-1 three-axis mill, a Meltio laser-wire deposition-head, and a Markforged X7 polymer and polymer-composite printer.
“[The sprayer plate] is designed to disperse lubricating and cooling oil on the helical gears, as well as the bearings behind the helical gears, and it was all fully manufactured on the ship,” said Machinery Repairman 1st Class Cory Hover. “Now that we got all of the DBACs up, we can officially operate our de-ballasting system and get our well deck from eight to 10 feet down to the seal [more efficiently].”
Hover said once a piece is printed, certain tools such as mills and drills are then used to machine away the rough shape into the smooth and exact shape desired after the additive process is completed.
“[It’s] definitely the coolest thing I’ve ever done as a machinist,” said Hover. “To take that part from the machine for the last time, blow off the coolant, blow away the chips, and see the final product is always very rewarding. Your measurements are right, everything lines up and a nice, beautiful machine product is what every machinist strives for.”
The ship received the 3-D printing capabilities as part of a partnership with Naval Sea Systems Command and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in October 2022. Prior to the additive manufacturing capabilities being installed on board, five Sailors from Bataan’s Repair Division received training from Phillips Corporation, the system manufacturer and integrator, in order to operate the additive manufacturing machinery.
“3-D printing is the way of the future,” said Bataan’s Chief Engineer Lt. Cmdr. Gaston Hatfield. “We took a part that was not available in the stock system and printed it while at sea in less time than normal supply chains could have delivered it for repair. Five days from project start to operational test satisfactory.”

• Date Taken: 06.12.2023
• Date Posted: 06.12.2023 16:03
• Story ID: 446795
• Location: US