How 3D printing changes future repair ships

Would 3D printing favor specialist repair ships or printers on individual warships?

It could support either model: central printers improve efficiency, while distributed printers improve resilience; complex items such as engines would still require conventional support.

Additive manufacturing changes where a fleet can produce certain parts, while the wider supply system remains essential. A central ship may hold larger machines and work more efficiently, while distributed printers make individual ships less dependent on a single support hull. The size and complexity of the required parts determine whether a carrier, a repair ship, or a shore facility is the sensible production site. Engines and other complex components would still need to be carried or repaired ashore, so printing changes the balance of support without ending it.