The project is thought to be the first ever full-scale rescue boat delivered by 3D printing
Global engineering firm Lloyd’s Register (LR) has announced a partnership with Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC), Autodesk, ST Engineering's Electronic sector and AML3D to launch a global design competition for a 3D printed rescue boat hull.
Launched by NAMIC, the project is thought to be the first ever full-scale rescue boat delivered by 3D printing. The winning design will receive a prize of S$30,000 (approx. £17,500) and will form part of a research exercise with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore, embedding sensors and integrating autonomous navigation systems provided by ST Engineering's Electronic sector. The winning design will be manufactured by AML3D using a large-format 3D printing process and qualified by LR. The project is also being supported by Singapore’s National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
“This is a great competition for any shipbuilder, shipyard, manufacturing company or design business interested in submitting their designs with the possibility of winning a significant amount of money to develop their idea using additive manufacturing techniques,” said Hussain Quraishi, Innovation Lead at LR’s Digital Innovation Hub in Singapore. “We’re particularly looking for entries which embrace the freedom that additive manufacturing allows to develop new novel hull designs.”
LR launched its additive manufacturing group back in 2014 and been involved in creating AM-specific certifications and guidance notes along with its partner organisation, TWI, first releasing a framework for AM metal parts back in 2016. The company has recently qualified a number of 3D printing facilities including 3D Metalforge and AML3D, and was also involved in the certification of a 3D printed functional ship propellor in a project with Autodesk in Rotterdam. LR believes this latest project will push the boundaries of what’s possible in traditional ship building even further and will assist in the development of new methods to qualify large complex 3D printed structures. The competition is open until March 31, 2020.
