# Robotic-Arm 3D-Printed Boats St. Petersburg Firm Haddy Unveiled Its 3D-Printed Military Drone Boat By Adam Harrie | Written with AI assistance | Published 2026-08-20 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Drone-Boat References: [3dprinting](https://3dprinting.com/news/florida-firm-3d-prints-military-drone-boat-using-robotic-arms/) & [app.dealroom.co](https://app.dealroom.co/news/note/haddy-3d-prints-the-tf-179-drone-boat-for-the-us-military)  Haddy used large-format robotic additive manufacturing to produce the TF-179 Drone Boat, an unmanned surface vessel built at the company’s St. Petersburg, Florida facility. The project uses industrial-scale robotic 3D-printing systems to build large structural components layer by layer from composite materials. Haddy’s facility operates eight [large-format additive manufacturing systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bambu-lab-h2s) from CEAD, including seven mounted on rails to extend their working range. The company has previously used similar methods to produce carbon-fiber-reinforced unmanned vessel hulls and has demonstrated design-to-sea-trial timelines as short as nine days. The manufacturing process allows digital design changes to be implemented without retooling conventional production lines. For defense and maritime operators, the approach can support faster prototyping, reduced tooling requirements and more flexible low-volume production. The project reflects growing interest in additive manufacturing for rapidly produced [unmanned military platforms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/defense-driven-manufacturing). Image Credit: Haddy ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 8.5/10 - Popularity: 81% | Activity: 83% | Freshness: 92% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Robots](https://www.trendhunter.com/robots) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Robotic Additive Shipbuilding:** Large-format robotic 3D printing enables faster production of complex marine structures while reducing dependence on molds, tooling, and fixed assembly lines. - **Rapid Drone Vessel Prototyping:** Short design-to-sea-trial cycles create room for defense teams to iterate unmanned surface vessels around mission-specific requirements and emerging threats. - **Composite Hull Manufacturing:** Carbon-fiber-reinforced printed components offer lightweight strength advantages that could reshape how small military and commercial vessels are engineered. ### Who This Affects Most - **Defense Technology:** Additively manufactured unmanned platforms introduce new flexibility for producing specialized assets in lower volumes and compressed timeframes. - **Maritime Manufacturing:** Digital fabrication methods are expanding boatbuilding beyond conventional tooling-heavy processes toward more adaptable, software-driven production. - **Industrial 3D Printing:** Rail-mounted robotic systems demonstrate how additive manufacturing can scale from prototyping into large structural applications for demanding environments. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Space-Grade Smart Skins](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Danish-Technological.md) - [Large-Format Additive Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/large-format-printers.md) - [Custom 3D-Printed Speedboats](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vortek-speedboat.md) - [Water-Based Entertainment Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/arivia-watersurface-drone.md) - [Underwater Concrete Printing Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/darpa-1.md) - [Exportable Additive Manufacturing Capabilities](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/omnifactory-deployment.md) - [Fleet-Grade Metal 3D Parts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/Flight-Certified-Metal.md) - [NDAA-Compliant 3D-Printed Drones](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hanx-drone.md) - [Software-Defined Surface Vessels](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mirai-robotics.md)