SALEM – Hunt Valve, the Salem-based subsidiary of Wisconsin-based Fairbanks Morse Defense, has been awarded a contract to produce a 3D-printed valve assembly for U.S. Navy submarines.
The contract, awarded by the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium, is the first of its kind and would be the first 3D-printed assembly to be installed in a U.S. submarine. The 70-pound assembly would provide the Navy with a product that meets or exceeds the quality produced through traditional sand-casting in less time.
“The utilization of additive manufacturing assembly with copper-nickel for large valve production is a real step forward for our industry,” says Andrew Pfister, vice president, aftermarket and product development at Fairbanks Morse Defense. “Not only does it create a superior product in terms of quality, but the process can significantly reduce lead-in times.”
Hunt Valve’s contract with the Maritime Sustainment Technology and Innovation Consortium will allow the 3D valve to be installed on any U.S. submarine class. The expanded use of additive manufacturing is expected to speed up component production for the Navy fleet by up to 75%.
Hunt Valve, with offices at 1913 E. State St., is developing the new valve in collaboration with Cleveland-based Lincoln Electric, which will 3D print the valve body. Once printed, the valve body is delivered to Hunt Valve to manufacture the remaining components using the standard manufacturing method and then assemble all the parts to create the full valve assembly.
Fairbanks Morse, a subsidiary of EnPro Industries, acquired Hunt Valve in 2021.