Qualitative Analysis of Sustainable Manufacturing Implementation in Maritime Spare Parts Industry Through Additive Manufacturing

Abstract

The study explores the qualitative analysis of using additive manufacturing for sustainable manufacturing in the maritime spare parts industry. The additive manufacturing technology is capable of reducing the usage of raw materials, consumption of energy, and carbon emissions during the manufacturing process. As 90% of the global trade is carried through the maritime industry, it also contributes to the most amount of pollution in the environment. The ships and vessels have to face downtime onshore due to repairs and the lack of availability of necessary spare parts to keep them operating. However, through 3d printing or additive manufacturing, the computer-aided design (CAD) models of the spare parts could be sent anywhere in the world and printed on time with fewer resources and without depending on the supply chain to source the spare parts. Using less pollution and waste contributes to social, environmental, and economic pillars of sustainability. The study has included semi-structured interviews with experienced professionals in additive manufacturing and the maritime industry. Despite the consistency of responses in industry-wide perceptions, the study has found consensus that additive manufacturing benefits certain technical and environmental aspects. It is however not always considered an economical method of producing spare parts as compared to conventional manufacturing by most industry experts.