3D printing aims to cut operational costs by manufacturing parts on site

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, has already gained a foothold in many industrial applications, and it is now starting to make inroads in oil and gas. With companies looking to cut operational costs and improve supply chain efficiencies, the industry is turning to additive manufacturing systems to help reduce parts replacement downtime. Speaking to DC in a video interview from the 2021 Offshore Technology Conference, Arash Shadravan, Energy Business Development Manager at Roboze, discussed the value that the company’s ARGO 1000 printer can provide.

“Printing on demand at the point of use gives you more control. The materials that we 3D print are lighter, but they’re more corrosion resistant and heat resistant. These are elements that you need for any successful drilling operation. Having the ability to print large parts on demand at the point of use is the largest success factor. We cut costs and lead time because we are manufacturing large parts,” he said.

Roboze is co-chairing the API’s 20T, which hopes to develop an additive manufacturing standard for use in greenfield or brownfield energy projects. “There are many eyes in the industry that are looking at the manufacturing process. They’re understanding the supply chain, the traceability of the materials and how do we test these materials to make sure we can use it for industry applications. Our technology enables the manufacturing, but API is an element that secures the adoption,” he said.