UAE-based Immensa Technology Labs, a leading additive manufacturing company, has joined leading global companies that emphasise the 3D printing of functional production parts for the oil, gas, and maritime industries.

The companies include Shell, Equinor, BP, Total, Rolls Royce Marine, TechnipFMC, and Vallourec as part of the Joint Innovation Programs (JIP). Managed by DNV GL and Berenschot, the JIPs also comprise companies specialised in additive manufacturing such as Aidro, SLM Solutions, Additive Industries, Voestalpine, OCAS, Ivaldi Group, Quintus, HIPtec, University of Strathclyde and Siemens.

The JIP aims to define clear requirements concerning parts manufactured by additive manufacturing (AM) for Oil & Gas (O&G) applications, with Immensa’s contribution to the JIPs stems from its technical expertise as an additive manufacturing fabricator.

Fahmi Al Shawwa, CEO of Immensa, said: “It gives us great pleasure to be part of this initiative. We have witnessed a rapidly growing demand for 3D printing from oil and gas companies and developing guidelines for the certification of the parts is an integral step. Our team of 14 specialised AM engineers have worked with an assortment of global and regional Oil & Gas companies in developing applications that leverage the benefits of 3D printing using both polymers and metals.”

Immensa’s 8,300-sq-ft production facility in the UAE offers O&G companies a range of pioneering AM services in the region, including advisory, research and development (R&D), part design & development, production, and testing.

Immensa Technology Labs which has operations in Dubai with offices soon to open in Sharjah and Kuwait, has been a pioneer in applying additive manufacturing in the oil & gas sector in the region.

SmarTech Publishing estimates that the 3D printing market in the oil industry will reach $450 million by 2021, and that this will grow to around $1.4 billion by 2025, helping the industry simplify the often complicated structure of oil and gas product manufacturing, reducing expensive downtime and removing long waits for parts.

According to Ernest & Young more than 36 per cent of all oil & gas companies such as Chevron, Halliburton, Shell and others have already started applying 3D printing in their business. – TradeArabia News Service