A Hawaii startup business is 3D printing military boat hulls with a basalt chopped fiber composite. Voltage Vessels has produced a 3D printed rigid hull inflatable boat for evaluation into potential autonomous naval programs. The composite include non-conductive basalt chopped fiber to add stealth capabilities by reducing radar returns and RF interferance.

According to 3D Printing Industry, Voltage Vessels used a CEAD large-format additive manufacturing system to build the rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB), which makes it easier to manufacture at forward locations. Naval forces can just 3D print these boats from digital files as needed.

3D printed boat hull with basalt chopped fiber by Voltage Vessels

Instead of relying on traditional fiberglass and plastic construction, these boats are printed using recycled PETG plastic combined with basalt chopped fiber. This material has significantly higher tensile strength compared to the HDPro material currently used by CEAD 3D printers for maritime use. More importantly, the basaltic material, which the company calls Eclipse X9, has no electrical conductivity.

External testing at the University of Maine’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center supported the company’s performance claims. Testing under project ID UM-TC-23-1008 measured tensile strength at approximately 108 megapascals along the print direction and 36.5 megapascals perpendicular to layers, against 49.2 and 9.7 megapascals respectively for HDPro. Bending strength reached 112.98 megapascals in the primary direction versus 60.40 megapascals for wood-filled PETG. After 24 months of saltwater immersion, the material retained over 90 percent of its strength, with water absorption below 0.4 percent.

Basalt fiber’s electrical non-conductivity gives Eclipse X9 a low dielectric constant, it does not reflect radar energy or interfere with the RF signals that autonomous naval systems depend on for navigation, communication, and sensor operation. That is a practical advantage over aluminum and carbon fiber hulls, though RF transparency remains under evaluation for specific frequency ranges.

SOURCES: 3D Printing Industry. Voltage Vessels.
PHOTO CREDIT: Voltage Vessels