Large format additive manufacturing enables rapid fabrication of USV’s. With a range of materials available, new hull designs can be rapidly manufactured in remote locations. This technology has applications in defence, charting and surveying, personal use and advanced research.
Challenge
Traditional boat manufacturing hasn’t changed in decades, involving costly composite layups, extensive welding and fabrication or roto moulding. USV manufacturing often requires a fleet of vessels at an inexpensive cost, which the traditional methods cannot provide.
Solution
LFAM streamlines this process by being able to print hulls rapidly and cheaply. This enables rapid iteration of innovative boat designs, with the benefit of these hulls being printed in situ, driving costs down even further.
The key benefits of LFAM for USV manufacturing are:
Custom and optimised, for specific use cases or research projects
Produced without tooling, enabling small batch runs and design iteration, anywhere in the world
Produced with minimal labour, empowering a workforce who would otherwise not have been able to produce their own USVs
Key Metrics
Hull Dimensions: Beam of 1.2m. Length of 3.5m. Freeboard: 0.5m. Draft: 0.2mm
Hull Total Weight: 130kg
Print time: 30 hours
Material: PPGF
Impact
By leveraging LFAM, USV manufacturers and researchers can dramatically shorten development cycles, lower costs, and achieve greater design flexibility. The ability to produce hulls anywhere, with minimal labour reduces supply chain constraints and supports innovation across marine and related industries.
