Defence technology company to help maintain UK submarines

Hampshire-based British defence and aerospace company, QinetiQ, has introduced a new capability at His Majesty's Naval Base Clyde in Scotland. 

The technology expert known for testing and evaluating air, sea and land equipment systems will now provide additive manufacturing to speed up maintenance and repairs for the submarine fleet of the Royal Navy.

The new facility will let submarine components be produced as required by QinetiQ personnel in collaboration with Royal Navy submariners, ensuring parts can be delivered directly to the underwater vehicles during scheduled downtime for maintenance.

Any components that cannot be manufactured at the base will see QinetiQ reverse engineer them and have them manufactured via an accredited network of advanced engineering and additive manufacturing SMEs based in the UK. The chain includes suppliers that have experience creating components for sectors that demand high-quality products that can cope with severe operating conditions.

Also known as Belleville washers, disc springs are components frequently required for submarine manufacturing. Submarines need high-load capabilities in extremely constrained spaces, and disc springs provide excellent vibration damping and shock absorption while maintaining consistent tension and pressure on critical bolted joints.

The new capability is now being actioned through two contracts with the Additive Manufacturing team of the Submarine Delivery Group. It incorporates the “Additive Manufacturing All In One” solution (supplying point-of-need manufacturing) with a dedicated “Market Access Cell”, connecting the facility to the wider network of select UK component manufacturers that provide technical engineering support when additional parts are necessary for repair work.