User Story
Built at Sea: How OceanX Made 3D Printing Part of Everyday Engineering
With only a few weeks of sailing left before reaching port, OceanX engineers were printing and installing replacement parts on board, completing the work before the next dive.
Far from shore, resupply takes weeks, and a single failure could bring the entire mission to a halt. In such an environment, every tool brought on board must prove it is worth the space it occupies.
OceanX operates in one of the harshest environments on Earth. The ability to design and manufacture solutions on the spot and put them into use has transformed engineering from essential support for reacting to problems into a capability for continuous operation, integrated into everyday missions. Even when circumstances are unpredictable and time is limited, this capability keeps exploration moving forward.
On land, a broken part is merely an inconvenience. Order a replacement, wait a few days, and get back to work.
At sea, the same failure can have very different consequences. On a research vessel far from regular supply chains, replacement parts may take weeks to arrive. And dives do not stop to wait.
A worn bracket or a failed motor can delay mission progress, in turn postponing the scientific research results the mission was intended to deliver.
This is the daily reality aboard the OceanXplorer, a research vessel operated by OceanX.
The vessel’s missions deploy remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) and manned submersibles deep into the ocean, and every piece of equipment requires ongoing maintenance, modification, and custom parts.
For years, the team’s answer to broken or missing parts has been metal fabrication. Welding, cutting, and grinding could solve the problem, but each repair required time and someone dedicated to the task—someone who was often pulled away from an ongoing mission.
Then, the team brought Bambu Lab 3D printerson board.
At first, they started small, making mounting brackets for ROVs and submersibles. But as the printer completed mission after mission, the list of tasks it could handle continued to grow.
An awkward set of water bottle holders—the kind that slowed down the delivery of each sample to the lab—was redesigned. A robotic arm on an ROV also received new accessories modeled from scans of the arm itself.
Next, a hydraulic motor failure prevented the research team from collecting biological samples. There was a spare motor on board, but it would not fit. And the next dive was imminent.
The part printed by the crew that evening eventually operated at depths of over 4,000 meters, showing no measurable wear even after repeated use. All of this happened on a ship pitching in heavy seas, with air filled with moisture and salt.
For a team that had to wait weeks to receive supplies from the nearest supplier, this changed their judgment of what could be repaired at sea and who could do the work.
OceanX
OceanX combines ocean science, technology, and exploration, and its missions often take place far from regular supply chains.
Aboard the research vessel OceanXplorer, engineering teams, scientists, and operators work in an environment that requires close coordination and flexibility. In this context, the organization began adopting 3D printing as a practical tool to support continuous operations.
What began as a supplementary capability gradually became part of everyday workflows, reshaping how the team manufactured, repaired, and designed at sea.
Operational Context and Challenges
OceanX’s work relies heavily on ROVs and manned submersibles that conduct deep-sea missions. These systems require ongoing maintenance, modification, and custom parts.
In the past, parts were primarily made using traditional metal fabrication methods such as welding, cutting, and grinding. While effective, these methods were very time-consuming and required dedicated personnel, often forcing the team to divert time and attention away from ongoing missions.
Operating in remote offshore environments further exacerbated these challenges. Replacement parts could take weeks to arrive, and even a small component failure could disrupt mission progress. The team needed a way to quickly manufacture functional parts without relying on external logistics or large fabrication teams.
Bringing 3D Printing On Board
To address these limitations, OceanX introduced Bambu Lab 3D printers to the OceanXplorer, including X1C and H2D models. The team chose these systems for their reliability, ease of use, and ability to work with engineering-grade materials.
From the start, these printers were deployed directly in the ship’s actual working environment to provide immediate engineering support. They were not just used to make prototypes, but became part of the mission workflow, allowing the team to design, manufacture, and deploy components within a single operational period.
Initially, 3D printing was used to make underwater mounting brackets for ROVs and submersibles. As the team’s confidence in the technology and their own design capabilities grew, applications gradually expanded to other departments.
One example was the redesign of the mounting system for Niskin water bottles. The original device made removing and reattaching the bottles cumbersome, slowing the delivery of samples to the shipboard lab. The team developed a modular mounting frame with a latching mechanism, making operation faster and reducing preparation time between dives.
In another case, engineers designed a rotatable suction cup accessory for an ROV robotic arm. The part had to fit precisely with existing hardware and be able to retract without obstructing the arm’s movement. The team first scanned the arm, then modeled the mount, made prototypes, and repeatedly tested different materials, ultimately choosing carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer for its durability. The final part showed no failure even under repeated operational loads.
These examples show that the team had moved from temporary stopgap solutions to carefully engineered parts designed for specific operational constraints.
Impact on Missions and Everyday Workflows
The value of 3D printing was most evident during a critical equipment failure. A hydraulic motor in the suction sampling system failed, preventing scientists from collecting biological samples. Although there was a spare motor on board, it was incompatible with the existing mounting system and pump configuration.
Rather than waiting for external support, the team designed a new motor mount and impeller that allowed the spare motor to work with the existing system. They used engineering-grade materials, printed the parts overnight, and completed the installation before the next dive. The system operated successfully at depths of over 4,000 meters, showing no measurable wear even after repeated use.
Building on this success, the team later designed and printed an entirely new pump system that accommodated the available space and operational requirements, even outperforming the original manufacturer’s design in efficiency.
OceanX’s 3D printing follows a rapid, iterative workflow: identify the problem, use computer-aided design (CAD) to create a solution, print the parts on board, and test them in the real world. The team makes adjustments as needed, often completing the process within a single operational period.
This approach shortened the time between concept and deployment, allowing the team to respond quickly to ever-changing challenges. Engineers and technicians handled most of the design work, while scientists identified the requirements and increasingly took part in making the parts themselves. The printers were easy to learn, and their user-friendly software and automated features encouraged more people to use them.
Operating precision equipment at sea presents unique challenges, including hull motion, moisture, and salt. Even under these conditions, the printers performed consistently. Even in rough seas, print quality remained stable, while automated features such as bed leveling and real-time monitoring reduced the need for manual intervention.
Compared to earlier systems, the team observed a significant reduction in print failures and setup complexity. Tasks that once required specialized knowledge could now be handled by more users, lowering the barrier to entry and increasing overall equipment utilization.
OceanX selects different materials based on the application, including PLA, TPU, various types of PETG, and high-performance polymers such as PPA-CF and PPS-CF. For underwater applications, carbon-fiber-reinforced materials have become an essential choice due to their strength and ability to withstand environmental stresses.
These materials allowed the team to make components that could withstand high pressure, repeated immersion, and mechanical loads. As a result, 3D-printed parts evolved from temporary stopgap solutions into reliable, end-use solutions for critical systems.
Quantifiable Operational Benefits
3D printing delivered several practical benefits. As the digital design library continued to grow, the team could remanufacture parts as needed, reducing downtime. The cycle of design and iteration also shortened significantly, allowing ideas to move from concept to deployment in only a fraction of the time previously required.
Reliance on global supply chains also decreased, especially in remote areas where logistics were difficult to predict. At the same time, customization became more feasible, allowing the team to design parts that fit precisely within the cramped interior spaces of complex underwater vehicles.
Compared with traditional subtractive manufacturing, material use also became more efficient, reducing waste and the need to store large quantities of raw materials on board.
Conclusion
OceanX’s adoption of on-board 3D printing reflects a broader shift in how engineering is conducted in remote environments. By integrating manufacturing directly into mission workflows, the organization reduced its reliance on external resources and gained the flexibility to respond immediately when challenges arose.
What began as a tool for making simple components has evolved into a core capability for supporting exploration, research, and problem-solving at sea. In an environment where every decision is shaped by time, distance, and uncertainty, the ability to design and manufacture solutions as needed has changed what is possible in real-world operations.
Original: Built at sea: how OceanX made 3D printing part of everyday engineering.
Original authors: CK Zhang, Pawel Slusarczyk.