The French Navy has validated Meltio‘s unique additive manufacturing technology for real maneuvers. This is the third successful entry into the defense sector for Meltio, a Spanish multinational company. Previously, the US Navy and the Spanish Army had already integrated Meltio’s 3D printing solutions into their manufacturing and repair processes.
The validation of Meltio’s technology by the French Navy took place during military exercises at the end of May. A Meltio metal 3D printer was used experimentally after passing several months of tests to adopt its unique technology. The French Ministry of Defense made this milestone public and emphasized the effectiveness of the solution. In the near future, the Navy plans to use this technology in other real maneuvers and possibly install it on ships in its fleet.
Jean-Marc Quenez, director of Innovation and Additive Manufacturing at the Service de Soutien de la Flotte (SSF) of the French Ministry of Defense assures: “We are at a point of overcoming technological tests of the Meltio metal 3D printer for the French Navy. Its state of use is experimental. The French Navy is using this Meltio machine on land. The machine is installed at our naval base, the Arsenal, located in the city of Toulon. After months of preliminary tests at our technology center in Toulouse, south of France, to test Meltio’s wire-laser DED technology (direct material deposition with laser melting technique as welding), the transfer of the printer to Toulon was approved. The main objective of this transfer is to respond to the Navy ships that are sailing with their repair and manufacturing needs in different metallic materials, mainly stainless steels and Inconel, for which Meltio’s additive manufacturing system is very efficient in the result of the parts obtained”.
Meltio has established itself in the defense sector with its metal 3D printing technology. The company from Linares (Jaén) has passed various technological tests worldwide on its hardware, metallic materials and software. The French Navy is currently testing a solution installed on the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier. In May 2024, a special repair experiment was carried out in the workshops of the Navy’s logistics department in Toulon as part of the “Ursa Minor” exercise. The Meltio technology was installed on land at the Toulon Arsenal and receives requests to manufacture and repair metal parts from the aircraft carrier.
Quenez continues: “Last May, we conducted the Ursa Minor 2024 offshore exercise, in which the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier requested us from its internal naval engineering center to repair metal parts. It was at that moment that we turned to Meltio’s metal 3D printing technology. Let’s say that this machine performs a function, for the moment experimental from land and in tests, of land-sea tele-assistance. The exercise was a success. We plan to carry out more exercises of this type over the coming months and in the future, the French Army is considering incorporating this type of metal 3D printer on board.”
Meltio’s 3D printers work with various materials such as stainless steel, titanium, Inconel, structural steel and tool steel. Direct energy deposition (DED) makes it possible to print complex structures by superimposing welding wires on a molten pool generated by a laser. This is based on digital models, which are an essential prerequisite for production.
He adds, “We chose Meltio for this exercise because it allows us to repair existing metal parts and with this machine, we manufacture test parts with DED technology, not final parts that we then post-process and machine according to our needs. The Spanish brand’s metal 3D printer meets our expectations for reliability and is very easy to use by our engineers. We anticipate that this metal 3D printer will continue to be functional and will be part of our experimental additive manufacturing usage program that continues to evolve.”
Meltio technology enables the production and repair of fully sealed parts for various industrial applications at low production costs. The speed and efficiency of execution make production more competitive than traditional manufacturing methods. The French Navy appreciates this technology as reliable and easy to use, which supports its use in the experimental additive manufacturing program.
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