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www.tuyap.com.tr
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announced that it had successfully mounted a metal 3D printed propeller on a French Navy tripartite minehunter, Andromède. The propeller was created through Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), and the project was designed to address two main challenges, according to Cyril Nota, Responsible for Additive Manufacturing R&D, Naval Group: “Industrial, to be able to build certified blades that could be provided rapidly and that could overcome a number of limitations related to traditional foundry techniques; and, innovative, in order to provide a strong foundation to develop tomorrow’s propellers.” For this project, Naval Group worked closely with the French procurement agency (DGA) and the French Navy, but also with Bureau Veritas, the class society responsible for the classification of French Navy ships. “Working closely from the start with the customer and the class society has allowed us all to share and tackle any issues together in real time, and work on developing the best WAAM process for future uses,” added Nota. The lifecycle cost savings that additive manufacturing can bring in terms of maintenance are significant. Currently, Naval Group is working to support maintenance ports so that, as industrial ramp-up for additive manufacturing continues, the need to stock large numbers of spare parts decreases. “It’s about changing stock management methods,” Nota told Armada, “ideally reaching a point where pre-qualified parts are already in a virtual library and maintenance hubs just have to print them.” This would not only speed up the process but also overcome issues of obsolescence for spare parts no longer in industrial production.
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Naval Group's FDI feature a data centre which architecture has been designed to allow for future upgrades as data needs continue to increase
TRANSPARENT PROCESS Ultimately, in the naval domain, size does matter. Ship designs need to be innovative to be able to retain SWAP design margins in order to accommodate future technological developments. Only an in-depth conversation with the customer on its operational needs can prove efficient in striking the right SWAP to lifecycle cost balance. Hull shapes and ship space, but also technological processes, will play a significant role in the conversation about lifecycle costs. The development of additive manufacturing will also bring significant changes to the world of ship design and maintenance. In fact, Naval Group is already working in a European project called RAMSSES for the development of hollow blades. Previously impeded by the limitations of foundry techniques, this new design will increase efficiency while reducing maintenance costs in terms of stocks logistics but also energy optimisation. “Working in partnership with other industrial partners and customers is crucial for the development of new processes like WAAM,” stated Laurent Courregelongue, director , environment & technologies department at Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore. “The transparency of the process with Naval Group was essential as a starting point, and now we need to work with other partners to develop rules that can provide a strong basis for such new and innovative process.” A sentiment echoed by all contributors to this article and that goes well beyond additive manufacturing potential.
M-C TSE - ISO 10002
TS EN ISO 9001:2015
