Additive manufacturing initiative to develop standards for 3-D printing

London-based Lloyd’s Register Energy and TWI, Cambridge, U.K., have launched a joint industry project (JIP) inviting companies from around the world to tackle the current and future issues faced by manufacturers supplying the energy industry, with a focus on additive manufacturing.

A recent launch event called “Certification of laser powder additive manufactured components for industrial adoption in the energy and offshore sectors,” held in Birmingham, U.K., included Shell UK Ltd., FMC Technologies, Scottish Power - Generation Division, Tru-Marine pce Ltd., Spring Singapore, and Technip UK Ltd.

Global trends indicate that the additive manufacturing market is set to grow by 390 percent in the next seven years, but “challenges have existed because there has been no standardized way of proving to manufacturers and regulators that printed products are safe,” said Chris Chung, head of strategic research at Lloyd’s Register Energy Technology.

“There have been 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,” he explained. “The JIP will overcome these issues faced by manufacturers through working together.”

Information on the launch event and JIP is available at www.lr.org/additive-manufacturing.