3D printed propeller installed on minehunter
Bureau Veritas has certified a new-generation 3D printed propeller manufactured by Naval Group.
With its 2.5-metre span supported by five 200-kg blades, Naval Group manufactured this new-generation propeller with a metal 3D printing process.
It’s been mounted on a Tripartite-class minehunter, and is said to be the largest metal 3D-printed propeller ever manufactured, as well as the first one made using additive manufacturing technology to equip a military ship in operation.
Obtaining military naval quality requires rigorous development. Bureau Veritas says it has been involved at every step of the manufacturing and testing process.
“Being the trusted certification partner for this innovative and demanding project has been an opportunity to demonstrate how Bureau Veritas brings expertise and added-value as a partner for innovation. This technology is promising and opens the room for further, more complex, innovations in additive manufacturing,” says Laurent Leblanc, senior vice president technical & operations at Bureau Veritas.
“Including Bureau Veritas from the very beginning was vital for us to reach our goal of bringing the WAAM (Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing) process from its research and development stage to actionable industrial standards. In this regard, we are very proud to have obtained BV’s certification of the 3D-printed propeller blades, reflecting the industrial maturity of Naval Group as well as our capacity to meet the highest and most rigorous of standards,” says Emmanuel Chol, director of the Naval Group Nantes-Indret site.
