DNV GL launches approval of manufacturer scheme for maritime Additive Manufacturing
Classification society DNV GL, Oslo, Norway, has released what it states is the first approval of manufacturer (AoM) scheme for companies wishing to supply additively manufactured products for the maritime industry that comply with the DNV GL rules and standards. Companies applying for AoM must firstly undertake a proof of concept to demonstrate that they have feasible technology and products, after which the programme will verify their ability to consistently manufacture materials and products to given specifications.
Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV GL – Maritime, explained, “AM is a technology that holds a great deal of promise for the maritime industry. Our responsibility as the world’s leading classification society is to give manufacturers a clear path they can take to offer their innovative products, while ensuring that our customers can have the same confidence in an AM product as they do in any other that has undergone approval by class.”
“The release of the AoM programme opens up new opportunities for both producers and users of these products, creating potential efficiencies in logistics and supplies chains, as well as in on-board maintenance and repair,” he continued. “Above all, however, we must ensure that safety and quality standards are upheld, and this new programme allows producers to demonstrate their fitness to the shipping industry.”
DNV GL has been investigating the opportunities and challenges posed by AM since 2014. In December 2017 it partnered with Aurora labs to certify metal AM parts for the oil & gas, renewables and marine industries and develop an AM certification standard to cover the entire value chain from powders to parts. Earlier this year, DNV GL opened its Global Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Singapore, an incubator and test-bed for the research and development of AM technology for the oil & gas, offshore and marine sector.
