Lloyd’s Register has launched a new global certification framework to increase confidence in additive manufacturing for manufacturers and operators in the energy and marine industries.
Following the launch of a joint industry project between with TWI back in September, the global certification company is on a mission to provide certification guidelines that will enable companies to manufacture complex AM components efficiently and with confidence.
Chris Chung, Head of Strategic Research at Lloyd’s Register Energy, explained: “As the Lloyd’s Register Energy Technology Radar survey suggests, AM will have a major impact in the oil and gas industry in the next five years. That is why last year, together with TWI and a number of industry partners, we brought together research and development efforts with real-world AM practices.
“Our new certification guidelines, launched today to industry, are already being used by companies in this joint industry project to gain early certification of AM components.”
Lloyd’s Register’s certification framework for AM metallic components provides a step-by-step approach to deliver the necessary level of confidence and acts as a stabilising force for quality and safety. These guidelines represent a significant step towards wide acceptance and adoption of AM technologies which could prove highly valuable in the oil and gas sector where the majority of work is carried out in remote locations. The use of AM certified components would bring huge cost savings and efficiency gains and improve safety when repairing or replacing parts.
Roger Fairclough, Principal Project Leader at TWI, commented: “To enable full industrial take-up of the technology, it is essential that the certification and validation procedures used for conventional manufacturing processes are extended and, if necessary, modified to suit additive manufacturing. This joint industry project between Lloyd’s Register and TWI will bridge this gap for the project participants and enable them to bring AM parts quickly and safely into the industrial marketplace.”
