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ABS Technology Trends Exploring the Future of Maritime Innovation
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MATERIALS:
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING Rapid Repair or Replacement
ADVANCEMENTS TO WATCH Optimization of Parts-driven by Generative Design
Automated, Just-in-time Part Manufacture
Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is the use of advanced materials on an atomic, molecular and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. Potential applications in the marine and offshore industries could include anti-viral coatings for high-touch surfaces, hull coatings for reducing drag, composite materials for improving strength and carbon nanomaterials for absorbing sulfur in fuel oils. Though adoption of nanotechnology has been held back previously by cost and manufacturing complexity, recent advances have helped reduce costs and increase acceptance.
ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING (AM) is the
process of fusing or joining physical materials to make objects from a computer-aided design (CAD) or digital 3D model. Also known as 3D printing, these systems convert model data into a series of 2D cross-sections and then print a 3D object layer by layer. Engineers developed the process in the 1980s to expedite prototype development and production. While early AM systems were mainly limited to
polymer-based prints, new printing processes have rapidly evolved to use materials such as metals, ceramics and carbon fiber in the last decade. The applications for AM have grown alongside its ever-expanding material capabilities. Today, the process is in use in various industries, including automotive, aviation, medical and construction. AM systems put production capabilities in the hands of the end-user, cutting time and costs associated with traditional manufacturing and supply chains.