TMS Awards 2023Bühler GmbHTelestackCimbriaViganPort of Stockton
  • Sailors Society
  • Vigan
  • Port of South Louisiana
  • Telestack
  • Port of Stockton
  • TMS Awards 2023

3D printing revolution

(Posted on 13/02/20)

Online e-procurement portal for marine spares and equipment ShipParts.com is taking part in a project to investigate how additive manufacturing, more commonly known as 3D printing, could revolutionise the way in which spare parts are procured and delivered.

ShipParts.com has been operating for some five years, and has built up a client base of more than 1800+ buyers and around 17,000+ sellers actively trading on the platform. Sellers are from all corners of the globe, including European, American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean manufacturers and partners.

The company says that digitalising procurement processes can cut order processing time for spare parts by 80%, a key consideration for the marine industry, where reducing off-hire time for ships is critical.

Roy Yap, Shipparts.com Chief Growth Officer, foresees an even greater saving of time in the near future with the growth of 3D printing technologies. “The technology has the potential to revolutionise the spares industry. Parts can be produced on demand, close to demand location, bypassing the time-consuming logistics, storage, shipping and customs procedures,” he says.

Shipparts.com does not intend to become a 3D printing company itself, but instead partner with existing and future specialists in or near ports around the world. So rather than Shipparts.com sourcing a part and sending it to the customer, it would provide secure digital files to a 3D printing specialist near to the customer, reducing logistics.

Yap refers to a ‘triangle’ of cost, quality and speed. Cost-wise, with current state of 3D printing technology an individual part made by additive manufacturing is more expensive than the equivalent off-the-shelf item – “but that will certainly change in the future,” he says. “3D printed parts will be of equivalent quality; the original data from which the part is manufactured is identical in both cases, and it is possible to use a wide variety of metals and alloys, as well as plastic-based materials, in the 3D printing process.

“Currently, logistics become involved, and that takes time,” says Yap. “If our manufacturers have to send a part, say from an origin factory, where it is made, to the destination port or shipyard, where the customer needs it, then there are costs involved. If we just send the secure data to a 3D manufacturing hub at the port or shipyard, where the data can be verified and the part produced, the customer can receive the parts within a much shorter lead time.”

Another benefit of the 3D printed model is the significant reduction in emissions, particularly carbon emissions. Not only could energy consumption from the manufacturing process be reduced, but the also the entire logistics chain would be streamlined, resulting in fewer emissions from a reduced transportation requirement.

Today, in particularly urgent cases, parts have to be sent by air freight. Yap says: “Cost is not an object in emergency cases, where a ship may be immobilised owing to a critical spare. The speedier response offered by 3D printing will improve uptime, improving revenue (charter hire) and reduce costs. We have over five years of data, so we know which parts are fast moving,” citing pump impellers as an example. “Pump impellers readily lend themselves to 3D printing.”

He says with a multitude of different sizes and designs, holding stock of a full range of impellers is not cost effective, but the ability to manufacture on demand means the right part can be available anywhere, quickly. It is fast-moving parts like these that show the most potential for 3D printing.

Size is not a problem. Yap cites a project at the University of Maine, which produced a 7.62m long vessel using what is claimed to be the world’s largest 3D printed boat, using a plastic/wood fibre composite material.

Latest News

Naples cargo operator invests in energy-efficient Konecranes Gottwald MHC

(Posted on 01/05/25)

Magazzini Generali Silos Frigoriferi (MGSF), part of the Klingenberg Group, has ordered a Konecranes... Read more


FuelEU Maritime compliance strategy is commercial priority, says OceanScore

(Posted on 28/04/25)

FuelEU Maritime represents a strategic headache for shipping companies on the same level as its technical... Read more


Wärtsilä upgrade to deliver emissions savings for Ulusoy bulk carriers

(Posted on 22/04/25)

Technology group Wärtsilä will upgrade the Wärtsilä RT-flex main engines... Read more


Steelpaint secures major order for application on 39 bulk vessels

(Posted on 22/04/25)

German coatings firm Steelpaint GmbH has secured a major order to supply its specialist Stelpant... Read more


BAR Technologies' WindWings a practical solution

(Posted on 15/04/25)

In the wake of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee... Read more


Orderbook for all dry-bulk vessel classes falls by 26% Y-o-Y in Q1

(Posted on 15/04/25)

Global economic uncertainty and a cooling of the market has seen newbuild orders for dry-bulk vessels... Read more


Alfa Laval expands its portfolio with NRG Marine acquisition

(Posted on 03/04/25)

Alfa Laval has completed the acquisition of UK-based NRG Marine, a leading provider of ultrasonic anti... Read more


MBF and ZESTA MoU to accelerate zero-emission shipping

(Posted on 03/04/25)

In a landmark moment for the global maritime industry, the Maritime Battery Forum (MBF) and the Zero... Read more


Bruks Siwertell Group announces leadership transition

(Posted on 31/03/25)

Bruks Siwertell Group has announced a leadership transition as Peter Jonsson steps down as CEO after... Read more


ClassNK issues AiP for OceanWings Rigid Windsail Type WAPS

(Posted on 31/03/25)

ClassNK has issued an approval in principle (AiP) for a Rigid Windsail Type Wind-Assisted Propulsion... Read more


Port of South LouisianaGeneva DryTBA GroupVan AalstSailors Society
  • Bühler GmbH
  • TBA Group
  • Cimbria
  • Geneva Dry

Subscribe to our newsletter

Keep up to date with the latest global news in bulk cargo handling and shipping