Upon receipt of the $190,000 order from Mobil, AML3D will use its electric arc manufacturing (WAM) process to produce pressure vessels with a lead time of 12 weeks, down from 12 months.  In addition to helping customers meet tight delivery deadlines, AML3D said the project demonstrates the potential of 3D printing in the oil and gas sector, which is gaining increasing attention.  

"Signing this agreement with ExxonMobil is further testament to our multi-stage growth strategy," said Andrew Sales, M.D., AML3D.  "In line with our future strategic approach, we will focus on building our capabilities and presence in the global oil and gas sector." 

Last year, AML3D's WAM technology was used to make large pipe shafts 

About AML3D and DED technology  

Founded in 2014, AML3D is a metal 3D printer developer that seeks to disrupt the traditional supply chain model for the daily maintenance of metal components for aerospace, defense, maritime, manufacturing and oil and gas companies.  They combined expertise in welding, robotics, materials engineering and software to build an automated system capable of operating in a free environment.  

Although AML3D's flagship device, ARCEMY, uses the conventional directed energy deposition (DED) technique, which works by melting and layering wire materials into parts;  But it also uses inert gases to meet the constraints of printing without a dedicated enclosure.  

In practice, the company claims the 3D printer supports materials such as aluminium, titanium, nickel and steel and is able to make large parts that are 70 per cent cheaper than conventional technology, while reducing waste by up to 85 per cent.  To enable customers to take advantage of these, they have now installed several systems at a facility in Australia where customers can order custom parts that are certified for end-use.  

In September 2020, AML3D announced a contract with shipyard Austal to 3D-print naval defense components, and late last year it entered the space business with an unnamed partner;  Facilities have also been installed at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and the University of Queensland, continuing to promote academic and industry-focused R&D. 

△ARCEMY is an industrial metal 3D printer produced by AML3D.

3D printing containers weighing 8 tons

ExxonMobil awarded AML3D the latest contract, which will 3D print the entire 8m x 1.5m pressure vessel for them. The equipment is essentially a large closed container, which is designed to keep liquid, vapor or gas at a pressure significantly higher or lower than that in the storage environment. Pressure vessels can take the form of reactors, flash tanks, separators and even heat exchangers, but they are often deployed in petrochemical, energy and oil and gas industries.

According to AML3D, it was selected because of its mature ability to produce certifiable parts and its "sustainability relative to traditional manufacturing". Their 3D printing technology can help ExxonMobil "solve the current supply chain constraints".

In terms of safety, pressure vessels must pass strict testing procedures. For this reason, the 8-ton printing structure will be subjected to hydrostatic pressure test, which will verify whether it meets ASME VIII and API 20S standards, and at the same time follow the process specified in Lloyd's Register facility certification of AML3D.

At the same time, the manufacturing work will be completed in Adelaide factory, using wire materials with yield strength over 450 MPa, and five ARCEMY printers will be installed there. After completion, the quality of pressure vessels will far exceed that of last year. AML3D printed high-pressure pipeline vessels weighing 940 kg, which will eventually be deployed in ExxonMobil's refinery.

"Happily, in the discussion with ExxonMobil, the advantage of AML3D technology over traditional manufacturing is a key consideration," Sales added. "Our proven WAM technology, which subverts the traditional industrial-scale metal manufacturing, can produce high-quality components with significantly shorter production cycle, and a more sustainable method, including less waste and lower energy consumption."

△ Total, an oil drilling platform located in Elgin, North Sea.

Meet the increasing demand for oil and gas.

Due to the remote nature of many oil and gas facilities and the continuous supply chain problems faced by various operators, some people began to turn to 3D printing technology. In fact, Protolabs revealed in last year's "Decision Time" survey that as many as 83% of oil and gas companies are considering adopting on-demand manufacturing to produce spare parts.

There is already evidence that ConocoPhillips and other companies are trying 3D printing technology to solve the supply chain crisis facing Kupaluk oilfield in Alaska. It is reported that the delivery time can be shortened from 30 weeks to only 3 weeks by 3D printing the burner plug in the gas turbine.

Hunting PLC, an energy provider, also recently purchased this technology through the acquisition of Cumberland Additive. The purpose of this is to better meet the needs of existing oil and gas customers, and at the same time provide a way to quickly enter the aerospace and national defense fields.