Bartlett Maritime Teams with Additive Engineering Solutions for3D Printing of Production and Shipping Tools

1. AES LFAM 3D printers in action.           

2. A LFAM 3d Printed part for autonomous underwater vehicle.

Cleveland OH, August 29, 2023.

Bartlett Maritime Corporation is teaming with Additive Engineering Solutions to develop 3D printed parts to support Bartlett’s work in building capacity and capability for America’s submarine industrial base.

“AES is an impressive, entrepreneurial small business right here in Ohio that was first in the world to commercialize large format polymer additive manufacturing (LFAM) 3D printing of reinforced thermoplastic parts,” said Edward L. Bartlett, Jr., Bartlett Maritime Corporation’s founder and chief executive officer. “Entering into this strategic supplier agreement with AES will help us deliver the solutions the nation needs to address the crisis in submarine maintenance.”

“Our technologically advanced approach to LFAM part production pairs well with BMC’s inventive and unique approach to submarine maintenance,” said AES Founder and President Austin Schmidt. “Entering into this strategic supplier agreement with BMC, a fellow innovative Ohio company, fits perfectly with our special capabilities as a world leader in the LFAM industry.”

The agreement between BMC and AES includes LFAM 3D printed assembly fixtures, jigs and custom shipping containers, or dunnage.

Currently, submarine components typically ship using individually fabricated, single use wooden crates.

Adopting an innovative approach used in other manufacturing industries, BMC and AES intend to develop reusable, rugged LFAM 3D-printed packaging for all component and equipment shipments. These custom packages will reduce shipping damage and contamination of components with foreign materials. It will also eliminate waste of labor, costs and material refuse involved in the current wooden crating practice.

LFAM 3D printed assembly fixtures and jigs similarly will significantly reduce the cost and production time for specialized assembly tools.

“AES has a proven track record of success working with partners in the defense industrial base,” Bartlett said. “The AES team shares our passion for innovative approaches as we work to give the men and women of America’s armed forces the gear they need to meet their mission.”

Current and past AES customers include Electric Boat and other divisions of General Dynamics, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon Technologies, the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and Anduril. AES manufactures key components of the body of Anduril’s Dive-LD unmanned underwater vehicles.

-BMC-

About Bartlett Maritime Corporation

America’s submarine industrial base consistently delivered a new submarine into service every 44 days in the 1960’s. As recently as the 1980’s, it delivered five new submarines into service each year while maintaining more than 100 submarines. Today, just as the Navy is being called on to satisfy strategically essential AUKUS obligations, the submarine industrial base is in the midst of a serious capacity and capability crisis. In fact, according to the Congressional Research Service, 37% of nuclear-powered attack submarines are unavailable for operation due to long term depot maintenance delays. In response, Bartlett Maritime Corporation is preparing to execute an immediately actionable, cost-effective public-private-partnership proposal to add required capacity and capability to the submarine industrial base.

About Additive Engineering Solutions, LLC

Additive Engineering Solutions, or AES, was founded in 2016 to be the world’s first company to bring the newly developed Large Format Additive Manufacturing (LFAM) technology to the marketplace as a service. At a time when most companies were not aware of the technology’s existence, AES set forth to both educate the industry on its value as well as develop the technology and equipment further in a commercial environment.

AES remains the largest company globally dedicated to providing innovative LFAM solutions to many industries and customers while having the largest capacity of LFAM 3D printers available.

Located in Akron, OH, one of the top manufacturing regions in the country and home to the #1 rated polymer science university in the world, University of Akron, AES has 24,000 sq ft of manufacturing space and continues to grow every year.

Media inquiries should be directed to info@bartettmaritime.com.