ABS has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mencast Marine, a repair and maintenance service provider for propellors and other ship equipment parts based in Singapore, to explore the further development of additive manufacturing (AM) processes, also known as 3D printing, for critical components on vessels.
The partners have agreed to cooperate on the design, manufacturing, testing and qualification of critical marine components through additive manufacturing, as well as the development of data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) tools for use in the 3D printing process.
ABS has previously published an ABS Requirements for Additive Manufacturing document, which defines the approval and certification process for AM facilities and parts. In this collaboration, ABS will be involved in verifying that parts are designed, produced, tested and qualified based on those requirements and other international standards.
Mencast has already been using AM to design and manufacture products in a more efficient manner while leveraging other technologies like data analytics and artificial intelligence to boost the potential of these processes.
“AM technologies have a huge potential to revolutionise supply chain and maintenance procedures both in maritime and beyond, and ABS is committed to supporting these innovations without compromising safety. Singapore is a critical location of the emerging regional and global green ecosystems, of which Additive Manufacturing is certain to play a role,” said Gareth Burton, ABS Vice President of Technology.
