{"id":27087,"date":"2026-11-10T12:03:28","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/?p=27087"},"modified":"2026-11-10T12:20:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T12:20:31","slug":"cox-marine-supports-university-of-maines-3d-printed-vessel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/news\/cox-marine-supports-university-of-maines-3d-printed-vessel\/","title":{"rendered":"How Cox Marine Diesel Outboard Technology Supported the University of Maine’s 3D-Printed Vessel Project"},"content":{"rendered":"

Innovation in boatbuilding is accelerating at an unprecedented pace, with advances in materials, design and manufacturing creating new opportunities across the marine sector. One of the latest examples is 3Dirigo X, a high-performance 30-foot vessel, developed by the Advanced Structures and Composites Center at the University of Maine, demonstrating the potential of large-scale additive manufacturing in maritime applications.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Designed to operate in offshore conditions at speeds approaching 40 knots, 3Dirigo X<\/a> has been created to explore how additive manufacturing can help reduce production times, minimise reliance on expensive tooling and enable faster design iterations for future vessel programmes. Researchers believe the technology could have applications across commercial, government and defence sectors.<\/p>\n

Supporting the project is a single Cox Marine 300hp V8 diesel outboard<\/a>, selected to power the vessel during its ongoing testing and evaluation programme. The project demonstrates how advanced manufacturing techniques can be combined with proven diesel propulsion technology to support the next generation of marine platforms.<\/p>\n

The opportunity was introduced through Ring Power, Cox Marine\u2019s exclusive U.S distributor. Working closely with the project team, Ring Power helped bring together the expertise and technology required to support this innovative programme.<\/p>\n

When Additive Manufacturing Meets Proven Diesel Propulsion<\/h2>\n

While 3D printing continues to gain momentum across manufacturing industries, marine applications remain relatively new. Projects such as 3Dirigo X are helping bridge the gap between concept and commercial reality, proving that large-scale additive manufacturing can be used to produce robust, high-performance vessels capable of operating in demanding environments.<\/p>\n

For Cox Marine, participation in the project aligns with a commitment to supporting vessel builders, research organisations, and commercial and government operators exploring new ways to improve marine performance and efficiency.<\/p>\n

Stephen Pitt, Head of Technical Integration at Cox Marine, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

“3Dirigo X is a great example of what can be achieved when innovative thinking is combined with practical marine engineering. Our technical integration team has been working closely with the team out in Maine, to demonstrate how diesel outboard technology can support emerging vessel concepts and new applications.<\/p>\n

Being involved in a project that\u2019s exploring the future of maritime manufacturing is something we’re extremely proud of. It shows how our diesel outboard technology plays an important role in bringing ambitious ideas from concept into real-world operation.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How Industry Partnerships Are Accelerating Marine Innovation<\/h2>\n

The project highlights the value of collaboration across the marine industry. Bringing together expertise in digital design, advanced materials, vessel manufacturing and propulsion has allowed the project team to develop a platform that could help inform future approaches to commercial and defence vessel production.<\/p>\n

As 3Dirigo X progresses through testing, the programme will continue to generate valuable insight into the performance, durability and scalability of large-scale additive manufacturing for maritime applications.<\/p>\n

For Cox Marine, it represents another opportunity to support organisations at the forefront of innovation while demonstrating the versatility and capability of diesel outboard propulsion in demanding marine environments.<\/p>\n

Interested in seeing how diesel outboard technology is supporting other advanced maritime programmes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Read about the Leidos Australia Sea Archer USV project here<\/a><\/p>\n

Ready to Adopt Diesel Outboard Technology?<\/h2>\n

As the maritime sector continues to evolve, projects such as 3Dirigo X demonstrate the importance of combining innovative thinking with proven marine engineering and alternative propulsion solutions. From advanced manufacturing programmes to demanding commercial and government applications<\/a>, diesel outboard technology continues to play a vital role in supporting performance, reliability and operational efficiency.<\/p>\n

Cox Marine is proud to support organisations pushing the boundaries of marine innovation and helping shape the future of vessel design and manufacture.<\/p>\n

Download the Cox Marine brochure here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Discover how Cox Marine diesel outboard technology supported the University of Maine’s innovative 3Dirigo X 3D-printed vessel project<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":647,"featured_media":27089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_members_access_role":[],"_members_access_error":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27087"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27093,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27087\/revisions\/27093"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coxmarine.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}