Tytus3D participates in Joint Industry Project (JIP) on maritime 3D printing in Singapore

Participating in a JIP (Joint Industry Project) led by Wilhelmsen, Tytus3D will develop additive manufacturing of marine parts, including developing and installing selected 3D printed maritime parts onboard various vessel types such as car carriers, offshore vessels, bulk carriers and chemical tankers, working with heavyweight original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), a strong classification company, technology partners and end-users.

“This is an important milestone for maritime adoption of digital distribution. Up until now, certification of critical parts has been very costly and time-consuming because each part has to cover new ground. By working together on key part categories, we aim to remove some of the remaining barriers for mass adoption” Jerald Yun, CEO of Tytus3D System Inc said in a news release.

A total of 11 different projects will share a total of S$1.625 million in funds awarded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) under the Maritime Innovation and Technology (MINT) Fund.

Of these, five are projects to build stronger resilience and competitiveness, six are projects focusing on additive manufacturing of marine parts, and Tytus3D participates in the latter project. The project aims to enable Singapore to use additive manufacturing to become a hub for the timely supply of marine components, and the participating consortium will strengthen additive manufacturing capabilities in Singapore and trial the use of 3D printed parts on board Singapore-registered vessels to test the viability of these parts.

“We are very excited and proud to have established a strong and end-to-end ecosystem of partners, bringing down the barriers for AM adoption in the maritime industry. Through the JIP and with the support of MPA, we look forward to unlocking the value of additive manufacturing with our consortium partners,” Hakon Ellekjaer, Head of Venture, 3D Printing at Wilhelmsen commented on the announcement,

The Wilhelmsen consortium where Tytus3D collaborates as a technology partner includes a total of 14 companies, the OEMs Wärtsila, Kawasaki Heavy Industries and Hamworthy pumps, class society DNV GL, another technology partner Thyssenkrupp, and part of Wilhelmsen 3D printing programs: Gearbulk, OSM Maritime Group, Thome Ship Management, Berge Bulk, Wilhelmsen Ship Management, Executive Ship Management, BW Group and Carnival Maritime.

Atsushi Ogura, Leader of AM project for Marine Machinery, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, added, “Kawasaki feels the importance of enhancing spare parts availability for safety operation. If we can convert physical spare parts to digital spare parts, shipping companies and OEM suppliers can avoid unnecessary investment.  Further to above, we can save the air-freight cost, custom clearance cost if we transfer the data instead of dispatching physical spare parts.  We feel the Wilhelmsen consortium is the AM market leader for the marine industry”