)
Adelaide-based metal 3D printing company AML3D (ASX: AL3) is making inroads into the military sector with delivery of its first portable ARCEMY 3D metal printing system to the US Navy's Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Virginia, in a move that deepens the company's footprint in the American defence supply chain.
The containerised system - mounted inside a standard 20-foot shipping container - was delivered to the facility operated by Australian shipbuilder Austal's (ASX: ASB) US subsidiary and brings Austal's fleet of customised ARCEMY systems at Danville to three.
The delivery triggers the final 50 per cent payment on the order, which was worth $1.2 million.
Unlike fixed installations that take two to three weeks to set up, the portable unit can be redeployed and operational within one to two days, a capability AML3D says is designed to demonstrate potential for forward deployment across multiple branches of the US military.
The delivery comes as AML3D builds momentum in the US defence sector.
The company had $29 million of orders in hand at 31 March 2026, including a $9.9 million order for four ARCEMY X Edition systems from Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, and a $2.6 million order for five US Navy submarine components.
"The success of this first portable, containerised system demonstrates how AML3D can flex its technology to meet multiple US military and industrial manufacturing use cases," says Sean Ebert, the CEO of AML3D.
"The addition of the portable ARCEMY brings Austal USA’s fleet of customised ARCEMY systems to three at the US Navy’s Danville Center of Excellence.
"And we still are only just beginning to access the huge opportunity to support the US Navy’s Maritime Industrial Base outlined in the letter of intent we received from the US Navy that indicated a need for up to 100 additive manufacturing systems and 3,400 additively manufactured parts by 2030."
Austal USA vice president Don Hairston describes the portable system as a major advancement for naval manufacturing.
"Our growing relationship with AML3D reflects a shared vision to redefine what’s possible in advanced manufacturing," says Hairston.
"The introduction of a containerised, fully deployable additive manufacturing system is a game-changer - it not only increases our capability at the US Navy AM COE, but it also allows us to demonstrate production directly at the point of need.
"Together, we’re not just enhancing supply chains, we’re transforming them, delivering next-generation capability exactly where and when it matters most."
AML3D was founded in 2014 by Andy Sales in Adelaide, with the company specialising in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAM) for industrial metal 3D printing.
AML3D has pivoted sharply toward the US defence market under Ebert's leadership since 2023, with the company also establishing a US base at Ohio in 2024 to be closer to key customers.
The ARCEMY platform uses wire arc additive manufacturing technology to produce large-scale metal components for shipbuilding, submarine maintenance and other defence applications.
The company's year-to-date customer receipts to the third quarter of FY26 stood at $6.9 million, up 20 per cent on the prior comparable period.
However, first-half FY26 revenue came in at $3.2 million, down 30.4 per cent year-on-year, which management attributed to project timeline extensions rather than any loss of demand.
AML3D held $26.5 million in cash at 31 March 2026, providing a substantial runway as it works through its order book and pursues further US Navy contracts.
The US Navy's Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Danville serves as a testing and demonstration hub for additive manufacturing technologies that could be adopted across the US naval fleet.
With three ARCEMY systems now installed at the facility, AML3D is positioned as a lead supplier to the program as the Navy scales its additive manufacturing capabilities toward its 2030 targets.
)
