In a container at the shipyard area of Aker Solutions in Stord is what could be the future for the production of spare parts for the offshore industry, but also other types of industry, such as the Norwegian Armed Forces. – The factory is ready for use in less than an hour, says Svein Hjelmtveit of the company Fieldmade. Equinor has large quantities of spare parts in stock. Only a fraction is used. The rest are in readiness. Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland Hooks and valve wheel The container is set up right next to the large production ship Johan Castberg, which is currently being fitted out at the shipyard. The floating production ship Johan Castberg will be in operation during 2024. It is 313 meters long, including the helicopter deck. Photo: Olav Røli / news Inside the container is a 3D printer that makes parts to order, preferably only within hours or days. A 3D printer can make a lot. Here is a specially built strainer. Simple repairs can be arranged with new parts, without waiting a long time for a new one. Here is a specially built valve wheel that is easier to handle with thick gloves. Here is a part made with 3D printing for Equinor. The part is three meters in diameter and weighs three tonnes. In practice, there are no restrictions on printing. Here a house in concrete, which is printed. Whether this becomes the future remains to be seen. – So far we have produced around 1,300 parts just for the ship, says Brede Lærum, responsible for Equinor’s 3D venture. On the list of specially built parts, I find, among other things, a hook that will hold cables on the construction site in place. This hook was specially built on site, and is intended to prevent cables on the construction site from falling on people. Photo: Olav Røli / news This was an idea from Bjarte Urdal, construction manager at Aker Solutions. He is tall and wanted to get the cables away from eye level. – We just call it the “Bjarte hook”, he says. Svein Hjelmtveit from Fieldmade stands in front of the 3D printer which is now making valve wheels. Photo: Olav Røli / news Since the ship will operate in the Barents Sea, future workers must be able to operate valves and equipment with large gloves. A specially designed valve wheel is also on the list of what has been made. – This is a so-called problem case that we can solve then and there, says Hjelmtveit. This is what it looks like when the printer makes a part. Video: Fieldmade Billionaires in stock 3D printing is a technique that appeared at the beginning of the 80s. Then primarily through making simple parts in plastic. Later, the method has gained acceptance in more and more areas. Equinor believes that 3D printing can save them very large amounts. – We currently have spare parts for 27 billion in stock. Only a fifth of them will be used, says Lærum in Equinor. By testing new production methods, they hope to save large amounts in purchases. And not least: They can get hold of the part very quickly. – The goal is to build a large digital spare parts warehouse. That way, I can get hold of a part quite easily, instead of waiting for him for perhaps weeks or months, says Lærum. He emphasizes that this production is connected with mechanical competence. Saves time, but costs more Erik Andreassen is a senior researcher at Sintef, and has followed the development of 3D printing from the very beginning. – By far the biggest advantage is that you can make a drawing and have the part ready within days. If you want to mold the part, a mold must first be made, and that can take a long time, he says. 3D printing has a history dating back to the beginning of the 1980s. According to Store Norske Leksikon, the method was invented by the engineer Chuck Hull in 1983. Other websites believe the start was in Japan in 1981. 3D printing is also called additive manufacturing. The starting point is that the part is built in solid material based on a three-dimensional model. This is in contrast to, for example, milling the part by taking a large piece and adapting it. Both polymers and plastics, metal, alloys, ceramics and composites, nutrients and biological material can be used. Today, it is used in a long range of industries. Source: SNL, Sintef He adds that the CO₂ footprint and amount of waste is also far lower with this production method. But despite the fact that it has many advantages, it has not taken off as a form of production. – When you look at the total production market, such printing only makes up a very small part. But within various markets, for example medicine, for implants, gas turbines and in dental technology, it is used a lot, he says. Erik Andreassen is a researcher at Sintef. Photo: Sintef Thinks the market will increase Right-wing apparatus is also a field where this dominates. – You can mass produce tailor-made seams. Like making 100 almost identical right devices, but with small individual differences, says Andreassen. At the same time, he believes the market will increase in the coming years. – The biggest challenge is the price per part. If you are going to mass-produce a part in many millions of units, it will almost always pay to mold the part, not print it. But the market for 3D printing will get bigger and bigger, he says. Hello! Do you have any thoughts after reading this case, or would you like to advise us about similar or other cases. Send me an email.
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Spare parts fill up stocks for Equinor – My new factory can solve the problem – news Vestland
