Table of Contents
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Company Overview
AML3D (ASX: AL3) is an Australian Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) company that has become a key supplier to the US Navy’s submarine industrial base through the AUKUS partnership. The company’s patented MAAM (Metal Additive and Advanced Manufacturing) process — a WAAM variant using arc welding to deposit metal wire layer by layer — can produce large near-net-shape metal components in days to weeks, compared to months or years for traditional casting and machining.
- HQ: Adelaide, South Australia; US facility in Ohio
- Exchange: ASX: AL3
- Key process: Arcemy WAAM — robotic arc welding-based large-format metal deposition
- Target materials: Copper-nickel alloys, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, titanium
- US partner: BlueForge Alliance (US Navy Maritime Industrial Base program)
Virginia-Class Submarine Program
AML3D’s most significant defense program involves producing copper-nickel alloy components for the US Navy’s Virginia-class nuclear attack submarine program — the backbone of the US Navy’s fast-attack submarine fleet and a key element of AUKUS submarine transfer planning.
The Supply Chain Problem
Virginia-class submarine production is constrained by long lead times on specialty metal components. Copper-nickel tailpiece assemblies — located at the rear of the submarine, supporting propulsion components including the propeller and rudder — were facing 12–17 month traditional manufacturing lead times through casting and machining.
AML3D’s Solution
- Component: Cu-Ni (70/30 copper-nickel alloy) tailpiece assembly
- Lead time: Under 5 weeks (vs. 12–17 months traditional)
- Value: ~A$156,000 per component
- Process: Arcemy WAAM robotic deposition → CNC finishing → Navy qualification testing
- Status: Delivered for in-service trials; components undergoing testing for installation on Virginia-class submarines
Scale of Demand
The US Navy issued a Letter of Intent projecting:
- 2026: 400 additively manufactured components
- 2030: 1,600 additively manufactured components
This demand signal — from a government customer with acute delivery pressure — is the clearest indicator of where WAAM-LFAM is heading in defense.
AUKUS Context
AML3D operates at the intersection of the AUKUS submarine industrial base build-up. The AUKUS agreement commits Australia to acquiring Virginia-class submarines as a bridge capability while the SSN-AUKUS is developed. Keeping the existing US Virginia-class production line healthy — and extending it to supply Australia — requires solving component supply chain bottlenecks. AM components that used to take 17 months now take weeks, directly addressing the submarine production rate problem.
AML3D has partnered with:
- BlueForge Alliance — the US Navy’s maritime industrial base integration organization
- NAVSEA — Naval Sea Systems Command, which oversees submarine procurement
Arcemy System
AML3D’s commercial WAAM platform:
- Process: Robotic arc wire deposition (GMAW / GTAW variants)
- Materials: Metals including Cu-Ni, stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, titanium, Inconel
- Part size: Large-format near-net-shape parts measured in meters
- Post-processing: Integrated with CNC machining for final dimensional accuracy
- Facilities: Adelaide (AU) and Ohio (US); expanding to Europe
Notable Developments
- 2025: US Navy LOI issued — 400 components in 2026, 1,600 by 2030
- 2025: US Ohio facility opened to support industrial partnerships
- 2024–2025: Cu-Ni Virginia-class tailpiece delivered; in-service trials
- Ongoing: Qualification program for additional submarine component types
Competitive Position
AML3D occupies a defensible niche: WAAM-produced specialty alloy naval components with an established AUKUS qualification pathway. Traditional defense suppliers (machining/casting shops) can’t match the lead time; other WAAM companies lack AML3D’s naval qualification record. The primary risk is that competitors (Rosotics, ORNL spinouts) establish their own Navy qualification programs.