In an update to its memorandum of understanding (MOU) with shipbuilding company Fincantieri Australia, large-scale metal additive manufacturing company Titomic has signed a Material Science Testing agreement.
“We are pleased to kick off this first project with Fincantieri as part of our MoU,” says Titmoic CTO Jeff Laing, “We will be producing test samples at our new state of the art facility in Melbourne in order to conduct the stringent tests required,”
“This is the first step towards manufacturing large marine parts on our metal 3D printers of limitless scale.”
Titomic Kinetic Fusion
Titomic has the exclusive rights to a titanium cold-spray 3D printing technique developed and patented by the Australian Government’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Named “Titomic Kinetic Fusion” the process is heat-free, and capable of 3D printing metal parts measuring up to 9 x 3 x 1.5 meters.
A strong entry for the maritime market
Under its partnership with Fincantieri, Titomic is investigating how its kinetic fusion 3D printing can be used to meet martime production needs, and how the machine can be integrated within existing manufacturing processes.
Through the Material Science Testing agreement, Titomic will be performing kinetic fusion 3D printability tests on an alloy specified by Fincantieri. The company will also be in charge of ensuring the material meets the stringent standards set by ASTM International, a body that recently set standard for powder bed fusion (PBF) processes.
Dario Deste, Chairman of Fincantieri Australia, explains, “The activities between Fincantieri and Titomic evaluate the benefits of applying the proprietary Titomic Kinetic Fusion technology to manufacture mechanical components for Naval and Merchant Ships.”
Furthermore, Deste believes that “With over 100 ships on order around the world, Fincantieri has the size and strength to bring new technology to market.”
Full steam ahead
Seemingly slow on the uptake of additive manufacturing, of late the maritime sector has become a booming area of activity for the technology.
The Damen Shipyards Group, in partnership with Rotterdam’s RAMLAB, recently became the first in the world to apply wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) to the production of a full-scale ship propeller. And, in Singapore, Sembcorp Marine has announced plans to add 3D printing to its shipbuilding operations.
According to Sean Costello, Director at Fincantieri Australia, “Titomic’s technology combined with Fincantieri’s technology transfer program to Australia creates the potential to return Australia’s capability in mechanical componentry,”
“Our aim is to return high-value jobs to Australia, reduce costs and become sovereign as a shipbuilding nation.”
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Featured image shows a Fincantieri ship in Sydney harbor. Photo via Fincantieri Australia
