Proposed Improvement in Vessel Design Requirements to Facilitate On-Board Additive Manufacturing

Advances in additive manufacturing mean parts can be made from a wide range of materials, including metal alloys commonly used in the naval industry. The development of Industry 4.0 also enables the evolution of predictive logistics and the interconnection of digital files provided by system and component suppliers. Furthermore, incorporating additive manufacturing capabilities on board a vessel can provide benefits in terms of operational flexibility and space savings for parts storage. However, this capability is conditioned by the sensitivity of 3D printing systems to vessel motion. The need to carry out additive manufacturing in a wide range of sea conditions makes it advisable to incorporate a reserve space at the vessel's point of maximum stability, along with damping and movement compensation systems, including both horizontal (galleries) and vertical (elevators) access passages for efficient distribution of manufactured parts and components and their transfer to outer decks for easier transportation to other vessels.