HD Hyundai Heavy Industries Creates On-Site 3D Printing System for Cargo Ship Maintenance

Cargo ships are one of the most widely used means of transporting goods in the world. In 2024, globally, about 901.2 million ships plied the maritime trade routes and it is estimated that by the end of 2028 this number will reach 928.1 million. The undisputed queen of maritime trade is Asia: 56 percent of the world’s traffic leaves from there. Furthermore, since this means of transportation involves long routes on a daily basis, the maintenance of these massive ships is crucial to ensure both the arrival of goods and the avoidance of serious accidents. Every year we witness how the sinking of these ships not only causes huge economic losses, but also irreparably pollutes our seas and promotes the deaths of hundreds of marine species.

Thankfully, a solution to allow container ships to be constantly maintained comes from Korea. HD Hyundai Heavy Industries announced that it has developed a new 3D printing technology that would allow ships to be able to perform maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) on-site, independently, and while the vessel is in operation. The project that involved the creation of this new system is called the 3D Printing Digital Workshop. The demonstration of this new 3D printing system was successfully evaluated and demonstrated at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries in the city of Mokpo, aboard Hyundai Merchant Marine’s (HMM) 9000 TEU-class container ship “HMM Green Hope.”

The 3D Printing Digital Workshop comes as a result of a project supported by the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The ministry expects the project to be completed by this December. To bring the 3D Printing Digital Workshop to life, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries participated in a consortium that includes companies HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering, Ulsan Metropolitan City, American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), CSCAM and Korean Register.

In fact, on March 17, the ASB company participated in the 3D Printing Digital Workshop demonstration declaring on X:

This event celebrated the successful installation of the first 3D Printing Digital Workshop onboard HMM’s 9,000 TEU Class Container ship, the concept of which ABS validated. The sea trials, including performance tests to verify the system’s design, have now been completed, representing a substantial advancement in the joint efforts to propel #maritime technology forward.

How does the 3D Printing Digital Workshop work? The system makes it possible to immediately to produce about 350 types of small and medium-sized parts, such as bolts and flange nuts, i.e., the connecting pipes. What is extremely interesting is that this system produces the parts needed for maintenance using metal powder, more specifically stainless steel. Usually, on-site production of 3D printed parts involves only the use of materials such as plastic, this thus reflects a real change. In addition, to counteract oscillations caused by wave motion during long crossings, this system is equipped with technology that helps manage and reduce oscillations and vibrations, ensuring stability and proper operation of the printing system.

The main goal of HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is to commercialize this 3D printing technology. One of the company’s goals is to create a digital library containing within it various models of parts needed for maintenance. Through this digital library, a network can then be created between various ports and ships. In this way, necessary parts can be ordered remotely and easily supplied by neighboring ports. The commercialization of the 3D Printing Digital Workshop would make maintenance faster and more efficient, providing both time and cost savings. In this way, inventory costs would be minimized, limiting both additional expenses and downtime required by traditional ship maintenance. Currently, HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering are investigating how to make this technology also suitable for the production of parts by serving other materials, such as carbon steel powder, often used for shipbuilding.

South Korea is rightfully among the Asian giants looking to establish itself in the shipping market. It is using all the technologies in the field to do so. As one HMM official said, “We will actively participate in various research and development of the latest technologies and strengthen our competitiveness through the introduction of new technologies.” Indeed, with the ability to print essential metal components on site, container ships will be able to more effectively meet the challenges of long-range shipping. Therefore, 3D printing is perfectly suited to the needs of this ever-growing market, which must not only constantly innovate but also optimize its resources in order to meet the continuous commercial demands.

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*Cover Photo Credits: Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM)