LONDON -- Lloyd’s Register Energy today launched a joint industry project to develop additive manufacturing techniques for manufacturers supplying the energy industry. 

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is on the rise and has the potential to affect global supply chains in a significant way. Global trends indicate that the market is set to grow by 390% in the next seven years, with Lloyd's Register Energy's recent Technology Radar survey suggesting that additive manufacturing will have a major impact in the oil and gas industry in the next five years.

"It’s testament to our drive to bring together companies who understand the benefit of working together to deliver innovative and ground breaking solutions in a step toward digital manufacturing,” said Claus Myllerup, senior vice president of technology for Lloyd’s Register Energy.

“Together with international and national companies, we can work beyond the constraints of today’s conventional manufacturing process to find real innovative solutions in a strategic and collaborative way. Additive manufacturing is just one of several innovations that we are looking at.”

But additive manufacturing is being held back from widespread adoption in safety-critical, asset-intensive industries. Challenges exist because there is currently no standardised way of proving to manufacturers and regulators that printed products are safe. There are risks associated with consistency and quality control, long term performance, data integrity, intellectual property, and in both software and hardware used in high precision manufacturing – and it is not currently a technology that often can be used for assembly. The safe and sustainable use of powders used in the manufacturing process is also a concern from an environmental and health perspective.

Claire Ruggiero, Lloyd’s Register Energy’s vice president for technical inspection services, said, “The issues faced by manufacturers using additive manufacturing can be overcome through collaboration and working together. Pulling together key parties from material and machine suppliers, manufacturers, end-users and research organizations, we can collectively consider the risks and control measures from different perspectives ensuring that all aspects are covered. We are confident this JIP will begin to help shape and guide ‘best practice’ standards in additive manufacturing.”

“Our invitation for companies involved in the energy industry to join in our JIP programs can support and fund projects from concept to commercialization and introduce game-changing technologies across the energy industry, at any time Lloyd’s Register Energy has dozens of JIPs underway which provide a rapid route to innovation. The best JIPs are ones in which certifier, manufacturer, designer, and operator all work together to achieve a mutual goal of developing a ‘market-driven’ design, that is future proofed as far as possible,” said Myllerup.

• Prev
• Next