F1 racing is synonymous with blazing cars navigating serpentine tracks, achieving dizzying acceleration rates. However, their remarkable deceleration is equally noteworthy. Superior braking propels a car’s speed. Ultimately, mastering speed control differentiates podium winners. Yet, the challenge of controlling speed isn’t exclusive to F1. In the Oil and Gas sector, speed is also pivotal. Pumps in this industry confront extremes in both pressure and temperature, making it essential to consistently control fluid flow, which is crucial to our energy framework.
Today, our spotlight is on valves, often dubbed the ‘brakes’ of pressure control in upstream Oil & Gas applications. These components are pivotal, whether in power generation, nuclear facilities, or chemical refinement, helping regulate pressure. However, manufacturing these intricate parts can be challenging, especially when produced in limited numbers for specific applications.
A True Story of Success – IMI CCI
IMI CCI, a major player in this realm, has engineered a library of additive manufacturing (AM) parts for use in the O&G industry. Seeing success with these applications and shipping hundreds of devices over the years, they were looking to expand further. However, scaling the production of these parts posed several challenges. Qualifying alternate venders for additive manufacturing proved difficult: parts sourced from alternate AM suppliers demonstrated too much variability manufacture to manufacturer. IMI needed to hire a process development engineer to reevaluate each build every time. What they found was that many of the critical variables that affect the metallurgy of their parts were constantly changing behind the scenes. All these challenges were further compounded by the need to meet new API20S documentation requirements setting guidelines for AM use in the O&G industry.
Achieving API20S Qualification with Velo3D Metal AM
The API20S standard is a specification provided by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that prescribes the requirements for additive manufacturing for the oil & gas and petrochemical industries. Given the critical nature of components used in these sectors, ensuring their reliability and performance is paramount, especially when leveraging newer manufacturing techniques like metal AM.
Building a More Scalable Supply Chain with Velo3D
IMI CCI, with the aid of Velo3D technology, has now unlocked the capability to qualify additive manufacturing components to meet the rigorous and precise standards demanded by the energy sector. Their three-year journey included a number of milestones encompassing everything from design of experiments and first articles, to real world installation and global supply chain validation of a catalog of different parts.
What they proved along the way was that a CM network of Velo3D printers can recreate the same parts – adhering to required geometric and material property specifications – from a digital inventory of files. We have grown accustomed to accessing older text documents on our computer and hitting ‘print’ successfully, but this is not always the case with metal AM printing. Many machines still utilize custom setups and bespoke, proprietary, and unsharable parameters settings. What makes Velo3D unique is the creation of the ‘Golden’ Print File.
The ‘Golden’ Print File (GPF) is a comprehensive and secure set of instructions that detail all the two-dimensional patterns and powers needed to compile a three-dimensional print on a Velo3D Sapphire. Combined with the Sapphire’s ability to run routine calibrations that keep it a match to its factory performance settings, engineers can upload the GPF and run this file months after its creation and be able to reliably print the same part within specifications.
This development relieves prevailing concerns. For instance, the potential inconsistencies arising from different machinery or various suppliers generating dissimilar results are now significantly diminished. Furthermore, this consistency means that companies don’t have to go back to the drawing board with each new production cycle.
Assure’s Layer by Layer Deep Dive into Quality
A highlight of this transformative approach is Velo3D’s Assure system. Assure doesn’t merely play a supervisory role in the printing process, it dives deep, offering an intricate breakdown of every operational step. At the end of each print job, Assure autonomously crafts a streamlined build report highlighting all the key areas that engineers and operators need to check to ensure that the part printed successfully. This invaluable document provides a useful overview, from system performance metrics to potential irregularities identified during the creation process. This level of detail and transparency isn’t just for internal assessments. The insights derived from an Assure build report can accompany the part as a rider throughout its lifecycle helping to meet industry-wide compliance mandates, like API20S. Thus, Assure isn’t just another tool; it’s an integral instrument ensuring that industry compliance requirements are met with precision and integrity.
Key takeaways:
- IMI CCI can scale its additively manufactured parts business through Velo3D’s CM Network
- IMI CCI can meet the requirements of API20S assisted by the Assure build report
- No need to start from scratch on new parts – Velo3D’s library of parameters and machine calibrations keep key metallurgic variables consistent and controlled even on newer designs
A Snapshot of How Velo3D is Pioneering AM Adoption in the Energy Sector
The energy sector, ever demanding in its specifications and requirements, has long been on the cusp of a transformative change brought about by additive manufacturing (AM). As this manufacturing revolution unfolds, Velo3D stands at the forefront, redefining paradigms and setting new benchmarks.
Velo3D’s metal additive manufacturing technology isn’t just an option; it’s a game-changing solution for flow control valve production. It addresses both the current challenges and paves the way for future innovations in the field.
Speak with a Velo3D engineer today to learn more about our fully integrated metal additive manufacturing solution.
