3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies offer the maritime sector many potential benefits. INMEX SMM India hosted a webinar with an expert discussion on disruptive power of 3D printing and additive manufacturing as a part of its educative webinar series. The webinar was held on 24^th August and witnessed the panel of experts from the industry.

Among those gracing the webinar were Mr Rajesh Nath, Managing Director – India Operations – VDMA India Services Pvt Ltd (German Engineering Federation); Dr Abdul Rahim, Corporate Officer & Regional Manager, Middle East and South Asia – ClassNK; Rear Admiral Anil Kumar Verma (Retd.) and Ex CMD, Garden Reach Shipbuilders  & Engineers Limited (GRSE); Mr Devansh Pathak, Specialist, Startup Ecosystem – World Economic Forum India; and Dr Dongchun Mary Qiao, Sr Engineer II, Material & Welding – ABS Technology.

Technologies have transformed various segments of the economy, but one thing has more or less remained the same is the manufacturing process itself. The webinar deliberated the long-term impact of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies which may offer new business models, re-shoring of production facilities, significant changes in the supply chain and open innovation to name a few.

Additive manufacturing could transform segments of the $14 trillion global manufacturing industry.

“Additive Manufacturing (AM), synonymous with 3D printing, creates objects layer by layer and has the potential to transform manufacturing as we know it, expanding design freedom, reducing time to market, bringing production closer to demand, and improving industrial sustainability,” shared Rear Admiral Anil Kumar Verma.

Traditional manufacturing impedes innovation, sustainability, and supply chain resiliency.

“Technology has paved the way for smarter factories and supply chains, but what has not changed is the need to mould, mill, bend and stamp raw materials. These manufacturing processes not only involve expensive multi-part assembly and specialised tooling, but they also limit design freedom and generate excessive waste,” articulated Dr Rahim.

The webinar discussed the barriers to additive manufacturing and the future of additive manufacturing for marine and offshore.

At the same time, a growing emphasis on sustainability and innovation is required to revamp of manufacturing and product design, with the COVID-19 pandemic laying bare the shortcomings of traditional manufacturing’s heavy reliance on complex and often far-flung supply chains, opined the panel.

The webinar addressed the important questions surrounding this powerful and growing field, including issues in policy and law, intellectual property, data standards, safety and liability, environmental impact, social, economic, and humanitarian implications, and emerging business models at the industrial and consumer scales.

This webinar was a part of the INMEX SMM educative series that the association has been conducting with the expert visionaries of the industry and with many such eye-opening sessions to follow.

Marex Media