Oil & Gas: Next Big AM Driver?
Yes, according to Research and Markets, which has released a new report, Additive Manufacturing Opportunities in Oil & Gas Markets 2016: A Ten-Year Forecast.
The oil and gas industry, reads the report, will be the next big adopter of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies as evidenced by the increasing use of AM in this sector for the past 12 months.
"GE is already printing a variety of metal components for use in its oil and gas operations," it reads, "while oilfield services companies such as Halliburton are actively exploring the use cases for both rapid prototyping as well as field production of parts. Advocates of AM at these companies believe that AM has the potential to radically alter the cost structure of oil exploration and drilling operations."
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Pitt, Ansys Partner for Improved AM Simulation
A new collaboration between software developer Ansys and the University of Pittsburgh is expected to tackle some of the most vexing additive manufacturing challenges, aided by the opening of a 1200-square-foot additive manufacturing lab in the university's Swanson School of Engineering. In the new Ansys Additive Manufacturing Research Laboratory, the two will team to simulate laser-induced metal deformations prior to 3D metal printing with the goal to ensure that a product has not only the desired shape, but performs as expected.
While a laser optimizes the density of a metal for a particular application during the printing process, it also can melt the metal in unexpected ways, causing a product to fail. In addition, the rapid heating and cooling causes stresses that can deform an end product. Robust, proven simulation can go a long way toward making 3D printing viable in a host of critical metal-part applications.
The partnership also will support faculty and students conducting collaborative research with Ansys and other industry partners, including those in the biomedical, aerospace and defense industries. This project, including the lab, was initiated with funding from the federal government via America Makes.
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