Singapore supports ABS-led additive manufacturing project

ABS is to lead an additive manufacturing joint industry partnership (JIP) after securing backing from the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).

The JIP will see ShipParts.com and 3D Metalforge develop valve and pump parts for use on board a POSH offshore support vessel, and ABS develop a certification process that is scalable to streamline additive manufacturing (AM) material approval for safe use.

The project is one of 11 in the areas of maritime digitalisation and AM for ship and marine parts awarded a total of S$1.63M (US$1.22M) by the MPA.

“Additive manufacturing has a significant role to play in the future of the marine and offshore industries and projects such as this, bringing together the experience of industry leaders, will play a huge role in realising its potential. ABS is committed to ensuring these types of parts are introduced without compromising safety,” said ABS senior vice president, global engineering and technology, Patrick Ryan.

POSH general manager centres of excellence Danny Chong said “Innovation is in our DNA at POSH and we are glad to collaborate with like-minded partners to transform and future-proof our sector through additive manufacturing. We look forward to testing these machinery parts and technology aboard our vessels, which could in time help our industry deliver more efficient and bespoke solutions for stakeholders.”

“ShipParts.com remains focused on scalable commercialisation of additive manufacturing for marine spare parts while safeguarding intellectual property of the equipment makers and warranties to the buyers and adopters. The ABS-led consortium represents the best of us; each playing our part solving issues and realising value towards an AM-enabled distributed manufacturing environment,” said ShipParts.com’s chief growth officer Roy Yap.

“Additive manufacturing has a huge amount to offer the maritime sector in terms of faster, cheaper and higher performing spare parts and we are delighted to be part of this consortium to help expand the reach of the technology within the industry,” said 3D Metalforge founder and chief executive Matthew Waterhouse.

ABS has been supporting the industry with the introduction of AM since 2017, when it published an advisory that provides an overview of metal AM technologies, technical challenges and trade-offs, changes to the design process, quality and reliability.

In 2018, ABS released new guidance notes that establish a consistent approach for qualifying AM systems and facilities to produce parts for the marine and offshore markets. Central to this new guidance is developing a process that helps manufacturers create repeatable and reliable results. The guidance discusses three common metal additive manufacturing techniques as listed by ASTM F42: powder bed fusion, directed energy deposition and binder jetting.