In a joint industry program (JIP) initiated by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) class society DNV GL will team up with ten member companies of the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) to examine how spare parts produced by 3D printers can help the industry to cut costs and downtimes.
The goal of the JIP is to establish a list of commonly-ordered parts that are highly feasible for 3D printing with or without certification respectively not feasible for 3D printing. The findings aim to encourage more maritime players to adopt additive manufacturing to optimise their spare parts supply.
The Singapore Shipping Association (SSA) underlined the disruptive potential of 3D printing, which so far has seen only a moderate uptake in the industry. “This technology can help not only to reduce costs of producing spare parts for vessels, but also to radically reinvent the production and logistics including using completely new and more suitable materials,” said Steen Brodsgaard Lund, chairman of the SSA technical committee. Elements potentially replaced by modern materials include brass components, he explained.
