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MITRE and Lithoz Advance Marine Transducers with 3D Printing

A variety of transducers have been created via 3D printing, often driven by piezoelectric vibration and other features for innovations like cancer-measuring devices, parts for photo-acoustic systems, and 3D printing process monitoring. Now, an industry partnership between MITRE, MSI Transducers Corp., and Lithoz-America has been established to create a 3D-printed model for further development of transducers in specific applications.

Transducers are used in many different applications today, meant to serve as efficient converters of one element or measurement like light or pressure into an electrical signal. These devices are similar to sensors except that instead of reacting to a change in the environment, transducers are responsible for translating energy from one type to another. Used in many industries—from automotive to energy to medical—they may also be used in marine applications as aquatic transducers.

The three partners came together (through MITRE’s Bridging Innovation program) as there was a need for printing of piezoelectric material on MITRE’s end. As MITRE lacked the equipment or expertise to complete upcoming and specific development for underwater aquatic transducers, the partnership will yield knowledge from MSI in terms of piezoelectric material processing, as well as packaging, and testing of the products. Lithoz brings forth AM hardware, along with material development expertise for 3D printing piezoelectric materials and geometries.

Dealing with an underwater environment can be challenging in any case, and previously it has often only been possible to power transducers with batteries, employing systems that are not as efficient or sensitive as needed. With the use of piezocomposites, however, there is a much better transfer of energy.

From the MSI website, including image: “MSI has designed transducers to withstand the most severe environments normally encountered in industrial applications, including temperatures ranging from -40°C to >150°C and pressures up to 25,000psi (170MPa). Frequencies can range from 25kHz to over 1MHz. In addition, MSI can produce large line and area arrays or roller transducer arrays for scanning large areas of industrial materials at high speed.”

While so far, there have been commercial restraints for the creation of such structures, the partners plan to use additive manufacturing processes for greater flexibility in production. In fact, here they will be using one of the greatest benefits of 3D printing as they are able to branch out and manufacture improved prototypes and products.

With the ambition to create “novel-shaped transducers with augmented properties,” the team expects to evolve far beyond the limitations of the technology typically used in the past; for example, they expect to increase sensitivity with materials through 3D printing, creating necessary structures that can be designed easily as well as changed on demand and then re-printed quickly.

Working as a group, they are able to cut out waiting periods usually required as other parties must go back and reproduce items that have been changed due to design flaws or lack of desired functionality. Overall, greater affordability, faster turnaround in production, and higher performance can be achieved—along with printing components and devices that are lighter in weight but stronger in many cases.

3D printers at Lithoz (Image: Lithoz)

And while they are still seeking a ‘benchmark material,’ in 2019 the partners successfully designed, printed, and tested their first round of samples. They report that material and piezoelectric evaluations showed better quality than with traditional methods and consider such results to be a ‘major project milestone.’ This year they will begin to focus on designing and testing new and complex shapes and structures for improved performance in aquatic environments. The partners are also reporting on their research and success to Navy sponsors.

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[Source: The Mitre Corporation]

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Drone Deliveries: Wilhelmsen Turns to F-drones to Deliver 3D-Printed Spare Parts

Wilhelmsen, one of the world’s largest maritime companies, is making continual progress in the field of 3D printing for its sector. The latest news from the firm is that it will begin using drones to deliver 3D-printed spare parts to its off-shore customers via a partnership with Singapore’s F-drones.

The announcement comes after Wilhelmsen launched its early adopter program for 3D printing spare parts in the maritime industry in December 2019. In February 2020, the company performed its first delivery of 3D-printed spare parts to a Berge Bulk ship. Now, the delivery of 3D-printed spare parts is going to be performed by unmanned aerial vehicles from F-drones, the only drone delivery business that has been authorized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to perform deliveries Beyond-Visual-Line-of-Sight to vessels.

A Series 1 Pro 3D printer printing a part for Wilhelmsen’s spare parts program. Image courtesy of Wilhelmsen Group.

While there has been a great deal of hype around giants like Amazon using drones to drop items off to ordinary consumers, F-drones is demonstrating the viability of such a technology for hard-to-reach locales, such as oil rigs and ships. With electric drones able to carry 5 kg across 50 km, F-drones will be partnering with Wilhelmsen to perform last-mile deliveries with a future goal of delivering up to 100 kg across 100 km. The firm suggests that the use of drones for such operations can reduce costs, time, labor and carbon emissions by 80 percent compared to boats and helicopters.

So far, Wilhelmsen has six customers in its early adopter program, including, in addition Berge Bulk: Carnival Maritime, OSM Maritime Group, Thome Ship Management, its own Wilhelmsen Ship Management, and Executive Ship Management. Involved in the spare parts printing program is the Ivaldi Group, a startup founded by former Type A Machines CEO Espen Sivertsen and invested in by Wilhelmsen. Also linked with the maritime giant is German steel leader thyssenkrupp. All of this activity is located in Singapore, which obviously has an ideal location for seafaring activities, but has also established itself as center of additive manufacturing (AM) activity. Combined, we may see Singapore as becoming the hub for maritime AM.

3D-printed spare parts for maritime. Image courtesy of Wilhelmsen.

As 3D-printed spare parts become established within this sector, we may also see the additive production of replacement components take off in other industries, where the promise of such a scheme has long been touted. Virtual inventory and spare parts 3D printed on-demand seem to make sense on paper, particularly for segments where individual components are specialized and high cost, like heavy equipment, industrial manufacturing, and energy. In the case of the maritime sector, perhaps all that will be needed to push 3D printable spare parts across that last mile is a drone delivery service.

[Feature image courtesy of F-drones.]

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3D Printing News Briefs: March 16, 2020

We’ve got news about 3D printers in today’s 3D Printing News Briefs, as BigRrep has shipped its 500th large-format 3D printer. Peopoly is developing new 3D printers for its Phenom series, and startup Excelencia is offering a 3D printing service for large objects. Moving on, MPA, NAMIC, and SSA have launched a Joint Industry Program for 3D printed maritime parts.

BigRep Ships 500th Industrial Large-Format 3D Printer

Large-format 3D printing leader BigRep, founded in 2014, just announced that it has shipped its 500th industrial large-format AM system. The company’s managing director, Martin Beck, said that this delivery shows how much all of the company’s industrial customers value BigRep products, which are utilized in a wide variety of applications. The 500th delivery was a BigRep ONE 3D printer, which was shipped to e-mobility tech company JAMADE GERMANY, creator of the AMAZEA underwater scooter – the first water sports mobility device that will use serial produced 3D printed parts at the consumer level.

“We are very excited about this delivery because it represents a new dimension of industrial AM in end-consumer products, both for us as a company and the industry,” said JAMADE Managing Partner and Technical Director Detlef Klages. “The new BigRep ONE will enable us to launch the serial production of AMAZEA as planned, completing our existing fleet of four BigRep ONE printers. We greatly value the printers’ cost efficiency, accuracy and quality when compared to the extremely high investment for traditional tools.”

Peopoly Developed Two New Phenom Series 3D Printers

In October, Hong Kong company Peopoly launched its Phenom 3D printer series, which was well-received by industrial users due to a higher resolution print, shorter workflow, and reduced cost. So, using the same MSLA technology, the company, which was founded back in 2016, has developed two new systems for its third generation series: the extra-large Phenom L and the fast Phenom Noir.

The Phenom L has a build volume of 345.6 × 194.4 x 400 mm – over 50% larger than the original, which a 20% faster rate of print speed. It also features new build plate designs, which improves the post-processing experience and simplifies the workflow for larger prints. The Phenom Noir has a monochrome LCD panel, designed for enterprise 3D printing applications, that reduces UV light waste, which Peopoly says makes the system run five times faster than the Form 3. With its 293.76 × 165.24 x 400 mm build size, it’s also nearly 13% bigger than the original Phenom.

Excelencia’s Launches 3D Printing Service for Large Objects

MASSIVIT project

Spanish 3D and textile 3D printing distributor Excelencia Tech just launched earlier this month with two big projects. First, the startup is an official distributor for MASSIVIT 3D printers, so it’s focusing on selling these. Secondly, Excelencia is promoting its XL MEDIA Project, which is a service it offers for 3D printing very large objects on its MASSIVIT systems. The 3D printers the startup owns are pretty costly, which is why Excelencia is promoting the use of them to companies that need to print large objects, but can’t afford to purchase their own large-format printer.

“Nowadays, if one of our 3D printings have to be done by a “traditional” 3D printer, it will take couple of weeks and an enormous budget to succed. So we offer the chance to create your 3D products using our machine without buying it, to understand and check all advantatges that Massivit’s machines have,” Miguel Preda Lliso, the Marketing and Business Development Manager for Excelencia, told 3DPrint.com.

“With our technology we can do giant products (about 180 cm) in less tan 48 hours and without generating as much waste as traditional machines (our machines just use as much kilos of material as the product weight).”

Phase 2 of Joint Industry Program for 3D Printed Marine Parts

Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), along with SSA and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), has launched the second phase of a Joint Industry Programme (JIP) for the 3D printing of marine and maritime parts. Phase 1 was completed in October, and Phase 2 consists of the call for proposals from classification societies or AM technology suppliers that would like to participate in the JIP as an industry consortium leader. The objective of this JIP, which has the potential to spin off further developmental projects in the future, is to establish the technical feasibility, regulatory requirements, and commercial viability for creating 3D printed marine parts.

“Maritime assets are capital intensive, and downtime is costly,” the JIP Challenge Statement reads.

“Replacement of marine spare parts involves many actors in the supply chain, and can be costly in terms of inventory, logistics, and cost of spare parts (especially for obsolete parts).”

The JIP is also working to shine a light on some of the opportunities, and challenges, involved in deploying 3D printing for marine parts, such as approval and certification processes. The application deadline for this phase is 6 pm on April 6, 2020.

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SLM Solutions Helping to Create Guidelines for 3D Printing Spare Parts in Oil, Gas, & Maritime Industries

Last January, 11 companies – now at a total of 16 – began working together on two aligned Joint Innovation Projects (JIPs). Their objective – collaborate in developing a guideline for 3D printing functional, qualified metal spare parts for the Oil, Gas, and Maritime industries, in addition to creating an accompanying economic model.

The 16 companies working on Joint Innovation Projects (JIPs). [Image: SLM Solutions via Facebook]

These 16 partner companies participating in the standardization project include:

In addition, SLM Solutions, a top metal 3D printing supplier headquartered in Germany with multiple offices around the world, is also working to support these two joint projects.

“Our aim is to make the SLM technology better known in the industry and to increase its application through uniform standards,” stated Giulio Canegallo, Director of Business Development Energy for SLM Solutions, who is representing the company in the JIP.

The company offers cost-efficient, fast, and reliable Selective Laser Melting (SLM) 3D printers for part production, and works with its customers throughout the process in order to offer expertise and support. It will be supporting the JIPs by offering its technical 3D printing expertise, for SLM additive manufacturing in particular.

Using pilot parts, like this pump impeller 3D printed on the SLM 280, the guideline is tested for practical application.

Together with the other 15 JIP partner companies, SLM Solutions is working to create two separate but aligned, coherent programs: a toolbox that will enable economic viability, selection, and supply chain setup, to be be managed by Berenschot, and a guideline towards certified parts, which will be manged by DNV-GL.

Because these two programs will be aligned in their setup, the companies can ensure, as SLM Solutions put it, “maximum cross fertilization.” In order to make sure that all the steps are there to achieve high quality, repeatable production, up to five pilot parts will be produced for the JIPs. One of these pilot parts is a pump impeller, which SLM Solutions already fabricates on its SLM 280 3D printer for oil and gas company Equinor.

During production of the selected pilot parts, the partner companies will complete a final applicability test of this guideline, focusing specifically on its practical use in successfully producing the parts, and their overall quality. The information that’s learned in these case studies will be added to the guideline’s final version so that others can benefit.

The practical guideline will be available to use by this coming June, and will offer a framework so users can make sure that their 3D printed metal spare parts, fabricated through either SLM or Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) technology, will conform to the exacting specifications of the Oil, Gas, and Maritime industries.

A functional, comprehensive business tool will also be released in June, to help figure the bottom-line impact that will result from using 3D printing to fabricate spare parts, as opposed to more conventional methods of manufacturing. A database of parts will also be put together in cooperation with the business ROI-model, in order to show just how applicable 3D printing is for manufacturing spare parts for these three industries. The model will be officially tested during the Q2 parts production process.

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Why the Maritime Industry Should Embrace 3D Printing for Spare Parts

In an article entitled “Is it Time for the Maritime Industry to Embrace 3D Printed Spare Parts?” a pair of authors argues that the shipping industry could benefit from 3D printing spare parts. The shipping industry, the authors point out, is typically conservative when it comes to change, but they offer several reasons why this industry, in particular, could be well-served by embracing 3D printing. Ships are frequently operating far from repair facilities and spare parts storage, so the ability to produce spare parts directly aboard the ships could be immensely helpful.

The authors also examine several other industries in which 3D printing has been successfully utilized in the production of spare parts, including the aerospace industry. The advantages that the aerospace industry has seen include better energy efficiency, cutbacks in emissions, better design handling and lower manufacturing lead time. Reduction in inventory cost is another benefit, as manufacturers can produce spare parts when and where they are needed rather than keeping a warehouse full of parts that may or may not be used.

The maritime industry isn’t a complete stranger to 3D printing, and the authors highlight a few cases in which the technology has already been successfully used. They mention a 2016 project called “3D Printing Marine Spares,” which was initiated by the Innovation Quarter, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and RDM Makerspace with the participation of 28 businesses and agencies.

“Making use of three different production processes, the advantages of the various methods for additive manufacturing and the maturity of the technology was experienced,” the authors state. “Thus the project brought a wealth of information on the current and near future state of 3D printing as an alternative method for producing maritime parts.”

The WAAMpeller

The project concluded that 3D printing holds promise for a variety of spare parts. However, extra work needs to be done to adjust regulations in order to qualify 3D printed parts. The authors also mention the WAAMpeller project, in which several organizations worked together to fabricate the world’s first class-approved 3D printed ship’s propeller. Then there is the Green Ship of the Future consortium, which involves more than 20 industry partners exploring opportunities for 3D printing in the maritime industry.

The United States Navy has also used 3D printing to great success in a number of maintenance cases.

“The maintenance has given the Navy the time needed to permanently install, and test out a 3D printer on board,” the researchers state. In the meantime, the crewmembers on board the ship have been busy printing out anything from plastic syringes, to oil tank caps, to model planes used for the mock‐up of the flight deck. The US Navy argues that they are still several years away from being able to print out actual spare parts for aircraft or the ship itself, but it is certainly a good starting point.”

The authors conducted several interviews with people working in the maritime industry. Most of the respondents had some idea of what 3D printing is, and almost all of them had a positive view of the technology; a few were skeptical, but not negative.

“Their main concern was if the spare part made by the AM is comparable with the part made by the traditional method,” the researchers explain. “Another concern was the cost of the AM machine, and the cost to build the part.”

A submarine hull 3D printed by the US Navy

There are several issues to be addressed, they continue, including finding the best process for use aboard a ship, protecting intellectual property, and training personnel in the technology. Overall, however, they conclude that 3D printing is a “promising” technology and one that should be seriously considered by the maritime industry.

Authors of the paper include E. Kostidi and N. Nikitakos.

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Singapore Announces Plans for First Portside 3D Printing Facility

[Image: Straits Times]

Singapore has been heavily pursuing 3D printing in the past couple of years, and now the country has announced that it will be creating the world’s first 3D printing facility located at a port. Today, an agreement was signed to set up the facility at PSA’s Pasir Panjang Terminal, and it will be used to create spare parts for maritime equipment. The facility will be equipped with several of the newest and highest-quality 3D printers and will use a maritime digital cloud supported by blockchain technology for better security of file transfers.

“With additive manufacturing, customised ship parts such as propellers previously produced by original manufacturers at specific locations can now be printed whenever and wherever needed, at ports of call or even on board ships,” said Dr. Lam Pin Min, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health.

With newer 3D printing technologies, worn-out parts can even be repaired instead of replaced by adding on to them, prolonging the lives of parts and lowering the cost of maintenance. By having a 3D printing facility at the port, components can be produced as-needed, reducing the need for physical inventory. With this sort of production, companies do not have to rely on centralized production factories with long lead times and expensive transport.

The agreement to set up the facility was signed today at the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) Global Additive Manufacturing Summit at Singapore Expo between the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), NAMIC, PSA Corporation and 3D MetalForge. MPA also launched a joint industry innovation program for additive manufacturing in maritime parts along with NAMIC and the Singapore Shipping Association.

“As a leading maritime hub, Singapore firmly believes that the maritime industry should embrace new technologies such as additive manufacturing,” said Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MBA. “The digitalisation of the maritime sector in all its aspects is not a matter of how but when.”

NAMIC held another additive manufacturing summit earlier this year, and has been a major force behind Singapore’s pursuit of 3D printing. This is especially true regarding the use of 3D printing in the country’s maritime industry. The marine sector isn’t the only area of focus for Singapore and NAMIC, however. NAMIC also signed an agreement with Wiivv, producer of customized 3D printed insoles, and Dr. Lam commented at the summit on the use of 3D printing for medical purposes – particularly the 3D printing of human skin tissue.

“Skin tissue can even be printed based on a patient’s cells, enabling more targeted and effective medical treatments,” he said.

That’s only one of the many medical applications of 3D printing, but the big news to come out of the NAMIC summit was the announcement of the development of the port facility. The success of the facility could open the door for other transportation sectors to establish 3D printing facilities right at travel hubs, such as airports.

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[Source: Straits Times]

Titomic and Fincantieri Australia Sign Material Science Testing Agreement for Kinetic Fusion 3D Printing

3D printing company Titomic, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia and well-known for its innovative Kinetic Fusion technology, has recently been announcing multiple new collaborations, including agreements with a golf company and a mining and oil & gas engineering services company. Last month, the company announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian division of Italy-based Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world; now, the two are expanding their partnership with the signing of a Material Science Testing (MST) agreement.

“The activities between Fincantieri and Titomic evaluate the benefits of applying the proprietary Titomic Kinetic Fusion technology to manufacture mechanical components for Naval and Merchant Ships,” said Dario Deste, the Chairman of Fincantieri Australia. “With over 100 ships on order around the world, Fincantieri has the size and strength to bring new technology to market.”

This MST agreement is the first step in the plan to evaluate Titomic’s proprietary Kinetic Fusion process, and see if it has the potential to augment the manufacturing activities currently being used in Fincantieri’s shipbuilding projects.

This is Titomic’s first MST agreement with Fincantieri, which has 20 shipyards across four continents, and it calls for the comprehensive testing of an alloy, specified by the shipbuilder, in accordance with the International Standards of ASTM, in order to attain the desired chemical and mechanical properties. The test capabilities will include chemistry analysis, hardness, porosity, and strength.

“We are pleased to kick off this first project with Fincantieri as part of our MoU,” said Jeff Lang, Titomic’s CTO. “We will be producing test samples at our new state of the art facility in Melbourne in order to conduct the stringent tests required. This is the first step towards manufacturing large marine parts on our metal 3D printers of limitless scale.”

The outcome of these tests will provide important technical information on the durability, cost efficiencies, material properties, performance, and strength of Titomic’s Kinetic Fusion process, which can 3D print complex metal parts without any size or shape constraints. The technology can also join dissimilar metals and composites in a structure for engineered properties, as well as create stronger structures without any bending, folding, or welding, and will hopefully help bring important shipbuilding jobs back to the country.

“Titomic’s technology combined with Fincantieri’s technology transfer program to Australia creates the potential to return Australia’s capability in mechanical componentry,” said Sean Costello, the Director at Fincantieri Australia. “Our aim is to return high-value jobs to Australia, reduce costs and become sovereign as a shipbuilding nation.”

Fincantieri, one of the shortlisted bidders for Australia’s Future Frigates SEA 5000 program, has built over 7,000 vessels in its more than 230 years of existence, and also maintains and refurbishes cruise ships, which is an international industry growing in leaps and bounds.

The analysis of the Kinetic Fusion tests that will be carried out as part of the MST agreement between Titomic and Fincantieri will also take into account the Australian capabilities for manufacturing processes, in addition to redesigning components so Titomic’s process can be used to help enhance material characteristics.

Riva Trigoso Shipyard [Image: Fincantieri]

As an additional part of the MOU the two companies signed in May, members of Titomic’s technology and operational team recently visited Fincantieri’s Riva Trigoso Shipyard in Italy, in order to gain a more complete understanding of the company’s mechanical components. This marks the first phase of a marine technology transfer to Australia.

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Naval Group and Centrale Nantes Create First 3D Printed Military Propeller Blade

3D printing is making an impact on the maritime industry, which is no small feat considering the number of regulations involved in making anything that can actually be used in the industry. So it was quite a task that a group of partners accomplished when they introduced the WAAMpeller, the world’s first class-approved 3D printed ship’s propeller, last year. The WAAMpeller was created using Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing, or WAAM, a fast, inexpensive hybrid method of 3D printing.

The WAAMpeller now has some competition in the arena of 3D printed propeller fame. Naval Group, a French industrial group that specializes in naval defense and marine renewable energy, has partnered with fellow French institution Centrale Nantes, a school that has worked with WAAM itself in the past, to create the first full-scale 3D printed propeller blade demonstrator for military applications. The large, complex propeller blade weighs more than 300 kg and paves the way for the manufacture of more geometrically complex propellers in the future.

“Printing this demonstrator is a major step towards the manufacture of innovative propellers by additive manufacturing,” said Vincent Geiger, Director of Naval Group’s Naval Research Technology Research Center. “These initial results mean that it’s possible to envisage the short-term commissioning of differentiated propellers for the ships that will use them.”

The 3D printed propeller blade is another example of a part that could not have been made with more traditional manufacturing processes. By allowing for more innovative designs, additive manufacturing enables naval components that are more efficient, with more autonomy, better propulsion, strength and lightening.

“Additive manufacturing is a process that offers unlimited possibilities: less material used, integration of additional features and geometrically-complex parts assembly,” said Professor Jean-Yves Hascoët, who heads up the Rapid Manufacturing Platform at Centrale Nantes, in the GeM laboratory (UMR CNRS 6183). “It allows for new designs, weight savings, lower manufacturing costs.”

[Image via Centrale Nantes]

Naval Group is the European leader in naval defense, with a presence in 18 countries. The company designs, produces and supports both submarines and surface ships, and provides services for naval shipyards and bases. It also offers a wide range of marine renewable energy solutions.

Centrale Nantes was founded in 1919 and trains engineers in the scientific and technical skills they need to make an impact in the workforce. The school has a strong program in additive manufacturing, and is involved in other research into additive manufacturing and naval applications, including propellers. Its industrial capabilities and expertise in trajectory generation and additive manufacturing make it a valuable partner on this latest project.

From submarine hulls to replacement parts, 3D printing is making its presence known in the naval and marine sectors. The appeal of the technology is the same as it is in other industries such as aerospace and automotive: it’s faster, less expensive, and can create novel geometries with capabilities beyond anything that can be created using conventional manufacturing techniques. Additive manufacturing often results in much more lightweight components, which enable ships, planes and automobiles to be speedier and more efficient, saving both money and energy.

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