This Hawaii company is making boats from volcanic rock and recycled plastic instead of traditional materials | World News

3D printed RHIB hull. Image Credit: Voltage Vessels

A Hawaii-based company is taking a unique approach to boat manufacturing by combining recycled plastic with volcanic rock-derived basalt fibre. Voltage Vessels, a startup based in Hawaii, has developed a material called ‘Eclipse X9’ which can be used in large-scale 3D printing and is being tested for marine applications. The material has already become part of the company’s plans for printed boats, including a 6-metre hull submitted for US maritime defence evaluation. By replacing some conventional manufacturing processes with digital designs and printable composites, the company is exploring whether boats and marine structures could eventually be produced closer to where they are needed, instead of manufacturing them far away and then transporting them over long distances.

Company in Hawaii making boats from volcanic rock and recycled plastic

Traditional boatbuilding can require specialised molds, extensive labour and fixed manufacturing facilities. Voltage Vessels is exploring a different route, centred on 3D printing and a composite material called Eclipse X9.According to Defence Blog, the Hawaii-based company was founded and is led by Sam Young. Its Eclipse X9 material combines recycled PETG plastic with chopped basalt fibre, creating a structural composite designed specifically for marine and defence applications.Basalt is a volcanic rock, making it a particularly notable ingredient for a company based in Hawaii, where volcanic activity has shaped the islands. The company processes basalt fibre and recycled plastic into a material that can be used as feedstock for 3D printers.Instead of relying entirely on conventional boatbuilding methods, the approach allows a digital design to be transformed into a physical structure through additive manufacturing, or 3D printing.

The company aims to print replacement hulls closer to operational areas. Image Credit: Voltage Vessels

Eclipse X9 is built for large-scale printing

According to 3D Printing Industry, Voltage Vessels has released Eclipse X9 for large-format additive manufacturing after several years of development. The material is now commercially available as both pellets and filament and is being evaluated at several facilities using different printing platforms.The company is targeting a wide range of uses, including marine structures, buoys, unmanned surface vehicles, infrastructure components and other structures exposed to difficult coastal conditions.Eclipse X9 is designed to work across different types of equipment rather than being tied to one specific printer. The pellet version can be used in large industrial systems, while the filament is available for machines ranging from smaller desktop printers to larger printing units.This flexibility is important to the company’s wider manufacturing idea. Instead of building every marine structure at one central factory, the material could potentially support production at facilities closer to where a finished product is required.

Eclipse X9 is designed to work across different types of equipment. Image Credit: Defense Blog

What makes the material suitable for use in the ocean

A boat material must be able to cope with long-term exposure to water, particularly saltwater. This is one of the main areas where Eclipse X9 has undergone testing. According to 3D Printing Industry, independent validation was carried out by the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine. The testing included mechanical assessments and analysis of the material for marine applications.In saltwater immersion trials lasting between 24-26 months, the composite retained more than 90% of its strength. The published performance figures also included tensile strength of 108.2 megapascals, bending strength of 112.98 megapascals and water absorption below 0.4 per cent.Its ability to retain strength while absorbing relatively little water is particularly important because prolonged water exposure can weaken materials used in boat hulls and other marine structures.The basalt fibre also adds properties that could make the composite suitable for specialised applications. 3D Printing Industry noted that basalt fibre is non-conductive and transparent to radio frequencies.

A six-metre printed boat hull has already entered evaluation

The company’s technology is not limited to material testing. According to Defence Blog, the company has submitted a 6-metre rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) for US maritime defence evaluation.RHIBs are fast boats which are commonly used for a variety of maritime operations. Traditionally, such boats can be made using materials including fibreglass or aluminium and often require specialised production facilities and tooling.The hull submitted by Voltage Vessels was printed using a large-format additive manufacturing system. The wider aim is to explore whether printed marine structures could support autonomous naval programmes and other maritime requirements.The company’s broader proposal focuses on distributed manufacturing. Instead of producing boats only at a distant central facility and then shipping them to their final destination, digital designs could potentially be sent to regional manufacturing sites.

The idea is to move production closer to where boats are needed

Defence Blog reported that the company is thinking of Hawaii serving as an initial node in a framework intended to expand across the Indo-Pacific.Under this concept, regional facilities could use the same digital design files to produce hulls and other structural components. The process would reduce dependence on conventional molds and some of the supply chains involved in traditional boat manufacturing.This could be especially relevant in regions where transporting replacement vessels over long distances is difficult. Sending replacement hulls from the continental United States to locations across the Indo-Pacific can take considerable time and depend on available cargo transport.The company’s concept is that locally available printing equipment and material could shorten that process by allowing structures to be manufactured nearer to their point of use.

Recycling is another part of the company’s plan

The use of recycled PETG is central to Eclipse X9. According to 3D Printing Industry, the composite supports closed-loop mechanical recycling, meaning finished parts can potentially be shredded, converted back into pellets and printed again.This approach could reduce the need to simply discard used printed structures. It could also have practical value in locations where waste disposal and the delivery of new materials are both challenging.The company sees possible applications beyond boats, including ocean-monitoring equipment, coastal structures, tooling and marine infrastructure. By combining basalt fibre with recycled PETG and using large-scale 3D printing, the Hawaii company is testing whether boats of the future could be manufactured with different materials, recycled after use and produced much closer to where they are needed.