On-demand digital manufacturing providerProtolabs已收到的学历证书n of Manufacturer’ certification fromDNV GL，一家全球认证和风险管理公司，用于其金属添加剂制造服务。
Protolabs is reportedly the first manufacturer using powder bed fusion (PBF) 3D printing to be certified by DNV for meeting the part performance and equipment safety demands of the oil and gas industry.
In particular, the certification applies to the firm’s direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) 3D printing technology with itsInconel 718superalloy, used to rapidly produce complex geometries for parts that are capable of withstanding exposure to harsh environments typical of the oil and gas sector.
“Trust is, rightly, an important necessity for the oil and gas industry and also the wider energy sector,” said Daniel Cohn, General Manager and 3DP Lead for Protolabs EMEA. “But now assurance can be given with the work we’ve conducted under the keen eye of DNV – the independent expert in risk management and assurance for the sector.
“对我们的制造设施和流程的审计证明，我们遵守石油和天然气行业的一般需求，因此我们现在可以向前迈进，从而为整个行业提供更大的支持。”
获得DNV认证
DNV first began investigating 3D printing and its industrial benefits back in 2014, and published its第一添加制造准则对于2017年的海上和石油和天然气行业，该公司已建立Global AM Center of Excellence (CoE)in Singapore with the goal of advancing competence in 3D printing qualification, certification and training.
Earlier this year, DNV released a new 3D printing service specification document,DNVGL-SE-0568, aimed at further supporting additive manufacturing in the oil and gas sector.
根据Protolabs的说法，它是EMEA地区最早获得DNV“制造商资格”认证的制造商之一。认证过程涉及对公司机械中多个探针的技术评估，并与Inconel 718结合使用，无论是单独的还是整个系统。
Inconel 718是一种高强度和耐腐蚀的镍铬超合金，当与Protolabs’ DMLS technology, can be used to produce parts with complex geometries that can withstand the harsh environmental demands of the oil and gas sector.
“我非常高兴我们的全球添加剂制造业（AM）技术卓越中心能够支持原始标记以达到这一里程碑，因为这是第一位使用粉末床融合技术在其添加过程中使用粉末床融合技术的认证制造商，” Sastry Kandukuri博士说。Materials Specialist in DNV’s Energy Systems Business Unit. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Protolabs that gives the assurance and confidence of AM products as their use grows in the oil and gas and energy sectors.”
New levels of assurance
While the certification from DNV provides assurance to customers within the oil and gas sector for its DMLS and Inconel 718 3D printing capabilities, Protolabs hopes that this trust will extend to other technologies and materials it offers.
科恩说：“我们为添加剂制造提供了许多金属和塑料，每种都适合项目的特定需求。”“我们自然会看到Inconel 718的领域的可能性，而且在极端的温度范围内，不锈钢316L的可能性。我们还看到在条件不太极端的应用中具有功能聚合物的可能性。
“The DNV certification applies to our Inconel 718 but we see it as a testament to our quality process and expect to see that trust extend to our whole offering.”
Looking ahead to the expected initial responses to Protolabs’ new certification, Cohn foresees the 3D printing of spare parts to replace those that were formerly manufactured by molding casts, “but also to look into design possibilities to increase efficiency and create more robust designs for parts such as pumps, valves, components for turbines or sensoring equipment.”
He also believes that the certification will encourage customers to use 3D printing in favor of conventional manufacturing methods as a means to unlocking decarbonisation benefits.
“Additive manufacturing can grow even faster in this way if there is trust in the technology, materials, processes, and in the manufacturing companies themselves,” he added.
Accelerating trust in 3D printing
According to Cohn, the certification from DNV will also benefit the performance of the company’s new5,000 square meter production facilityin Putzbrunn, Germany, slated to increase the company’s production capacity by 50 percent.
新设施将包括一台5轴铣床，用于为高端应用程序完成3D打印零件以及自动化装饰，着色和绘画系统。Protolabs计划将所有生产部门从Feldkirchen的当前工厂转移到新站点，其现有技术补充了25个系统。
“We are the world’s fastest digital manufacturer that can provide assurances needed, but a major goal for us is to produce parts even faster and deliver on an even wider envelope of service for our customers,” said Cohn. “When a finished design enters our online ordering platform it goes through a short feasibility check by our expert design team, and then on to be printed.
“The DNV certification will give us the trust needed and the new facility will give us the capacity needed to deliver even more projects in as little as one day.”
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Featured image showsInconel 718零件正在拆除以准备完成。通过Protolabs照片。
