Shipparts.com, Nanyang Polytechnic, ABS Sign Research Collaboration Agreement

ShipParts.com, an online procurement site for marine equipment, signed a research collaboration agreement with Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).

The agreement aims to prove standards for the certification of metallic components produced by NYP’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) for maritime applications.

The SGD 350,000 project – partly subsidized by the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) – will qualify the 3D printed metal part of an end-user component using a Selective Laser Melting 3D printing machine.

The SLM technology can print complex parts in a variety of materials including stainless steel SS316L, which is widely applied across the industry owing to the corrosive nature of the maritime environment.

In the first phase of the 10-month project, beginning April 2020, the research teams will develop metal part printing procedures and carry out tensile, chemical and microstructure tests of the printing medium against ABS rules and standards governing weld and material strength.

Phase two will include the 3D printing of a metal component –  a pump impeller – and evaluate the performance of the part in standard equipment.

The project is expected to be completed by January 2021.

“A key aspect of the project is to optimize the parameters for the printed part that post-machining is minimized and it can be used ideally ‘hot off the oven,’” said ShipParts.com’s Chief Growth Officer Roy Yap. “The qualification will form the bedrock for future certification of critical components for marine use.”

NYP’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation Center will develop the metal printing test plan, procedures and processes, facilitate testing and analysis.

ShipParts.com will provide the design criteria for parts produced by 3D metal printing licensed via its consortium of manufacturing partners, while ABS will develop new testing and qualification standards and audit the manufacturing process.

The partners believe that the metallic AM will revolutionize the maritime and offshore sectors, paving the way for distributed manufacturing and, reduced logistics, thus contributing to global efforts to decarbonize.

“Current investment and take-up will drive cost downwards with a technology leap expected by 2022 for larger parts. There are now more material choices and more accurate 3D printing machines capable of manufacturing components in a more cost-effective way,” said Yap.

“It has the capacity to manufacture parts with complex geometry and internal shapes, resulting in a significant reduction in overall lead-time,” added Yap. “Another key advantage is that parts can be printed on-demand, requiring little to no inventory storage. Lower inventory holding costs can be achieved.”