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Thursday, May 15, 2025 (Halifax) _ As Canada reconsiders its military readiness and procurement strategy amid shifting international dynamics, Dalhousie University and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) are partnering to develop innovative, made-in-Canada solutions that can extend the life of the Navy’s submarine fleet and strengthen the country’s domestic defence capacity.

The initiative focuses on advanced additive manufacturing – an industrial-grade form of 3D printing – to produce critical submarine parts and, just as importantly, the processes needed to make them.

“We’re not just printing parts,” says Dr. Paul Bishop, a materials engineer at Dalhousie and lead researcher on the project. “We’re building the scientific and industrial foundation that will allow Canada to support its naval platforms independently and more cost-effectively.”

The work comes at a critical time. Although the federal government has committed to procuring up to 12 new submarines to replace the aging Victoria-class fleet, the first is not expected until 2035. Until then, Canada must maintain its current fleet – submarines originally built in the 1980s and acquired by Canada in the late 1990s.

Cameron Munro, a defence scientist at DRDC’s Atlantic Research Centre, says that presents a major challenge. “One of the biggest hurdles is keeping equipment operational far beyond its original design life. If a component fails and the original manufacturer is gone, we face long delays and high costs to custom-build replacements.”

That’s where additive manufacturing comes in. Dr. Bishop and his team are working to reverse-engineer highly specialized naval alloys that have never been explored for additive manufacturing. By developing new methods to turn these materials into printable powders and determining the precise parameters needed to reliably produce replacements, they’re breaking new ground in defence-focused materials science.

The project is supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and industry collaborators. It positions Dalhousie as a key bridge between the Royal Canadian Navy, DRDC, and a growing ecosystem of Canadian advanced manufacturing firms.

“This project isn’t just about producing parts,” says Munro. “It’s about building long-term industrial capacity and allowing the Navy to own the R&D – so they’re not locked into one proprietary solution and can competitively source what they need.”

Rather than stockpiling costly spare parts, the vision is for the Navy to produce them on demand using proven processes developed by Dalhousie. That shift could reduce costs, shorten timelines, and provide greater operational flexibility.

Dr. Bishop emphasizes the long-term value: “We’re giving our defence partners the knowledge and tools to confidently implement these technologies at scale – helping ensure Canada’s Navy remains mission ready, while fostering a more self-reliant and responsive domestic supply chain.”

Interviews with Dr. Paul Bishop and tours and photos of Dalhousie’s additive manufacturing facilities are available upon request.

Learn more via Dal News: https://www.dal.ca/news/2025/05/15/dal-solutions-navy-repair.html

Media contact:

Andrew Riley
Senior manager, research and innovation communications
Dalhousie University
Phone: 902-456-7904
Email: andrew.riley@dal.ca