Shell uses 3D printing in GoM

OE Staff
Monday, October 10, 2016

Supermajor Shell gives another look at how the company is using 3D printing technology.

Shell teams can produce scale prototypes of equipment destined for use in projects in a fraction of the usual time – from a huge buoy destined for the Gulf of Mexico, to a hinge that holds production equipment together on the seabed. 

Hands-on interaction with miniature 3D printed components allows teams to improve designs before they are made, and map out detailed plans for installation work in the construction yard that help reduce safety risks. Watch how 3D printing has been helping Shell deliver its Stones and Couloumb offshore projects more efficiently.

In this video, Shell says the company commissioned the Coulomb 3D print to convey to the engineers that they’re designing the hinge assemblies, and to the contractor the complexity of the structure that they’re trying to build. The process allowed Shell to predict the potential problems before getting into the fabrication state. 

Read more:

How Shell used 3D printing on its Stones development

Categories: Technology North America Gulf of Mexico

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