SBIR-STTR Award

Maintaining the maritime supply chain is a complex and challenging task, compounded by the long service length of various vessels and systems. Many components incorporate cast and/or forged components that require expensive and complex tooling which increases significantly the cost and lead times associated with procurement of components that are obsolete or non-stocked. This can lead to the necessity for cannibalizing components from other vessels that are inactive or undergoing service, with negative effects on readiness and fleet strength. Additive manufacturing provides a pathway for producing single parts or small production runs of cast and or forged components without the need for tooling. This can drastically reduce lead times and lower procurement costs. This effort will demonstrate the use of AM and conventional subtractive manufacturing to produce the various sub-components of a bronze valve and will result in a Source Approval Request for MRL to produce this part.

Shortage of spare parts for our U.S. Navy assets can be costly as shown last year when the U.S. Navy to resort to a partial “spare parts cannibalism” for the newest carrier USS Gerald R. Ford that worth $13 billion. Through our communication with the Navy customer (NSWC Philadelphia ISEAs ) during phase I of the project, we became aware of another issue which threaten our current Navy assets. That is the presence of a family of bronze valves that do not meet revised OSHA requirements for lead levels in potable water. Our success in phase I to produce valve components using DED of NAB, we are proposing in phase II to continue expanding in that effort by replacing the higher lead composition with NAB. In our phase II proposal below, we will discuss the plan to produce and qualify some of these valves for Navy use.