Singapore, 23 December 2020 – Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification services, together with 3D Metal Forge (3DMF) and PACC Offshore Services Holdings Ltd (POSH) have been awarded co-funding for their joint industry project (JIP) on additive manufacturing for the maritime sector.
This project is one of 11 digitalisation projects awarded Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) co-funding by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). MPA had earlier worked with the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) to support a market feasibility study on Additive Manufacturing (AM), commonly referred to as 3D printing, for commonly ordered marine parts.
By using additive manufacturing within the maritime industry, BV, 3DMF, and POSH aim to:
• Improve operational efficiency and reduce risks for the replacement of critical components which might keep a ship tied up in dock or that might prevent a ship from functioning safely and effectively;
• Eliminate the need for physical inventory, storage, potentially complex distribution, and logistics costs;
• And, provide cost benefits to clients, particularly for the procurement of hard to source, obsolete, and out of stock spare parts.
Following a joint survey conducted onboard a POSH vessel, four components have been identified for additive manufacturing. These pieces will be built by 3DMF with technologies including fused filament fabrication, laser powder bed fusion, and directed energy deposition that leverage the design and material advantages offered by utilising additive Manufacturing.
Upon the successful demonstration and installation onboard a Singapore-flagged vessel, BV will inspect the identified components to ensure conformity and safety. BV experts will also verify the entire additive manufacturing process from design, through qualification, and into production.
The certified final products owned by POSH will be installed onboard the vessel for trials lasting between three to six months. The POSH Teal, a 21,000 BHP anchor handling towing and support vessel, has been nominated as the trial vessel.