Cruise ships are supposed to be vessels for relaxation, a chance for stressed-out people to get away from their lives and spend a few days at sea, getting some sun and pampering themselves. When something goes wrong with a cruise ship, however, it can be more than inconvenient – it can be terrifying. We’ve all heard the horror stories of ships losing power or engines catching fire, and of passengers being stranded for days at sea while waiting for rescue. Thankfully, there are companies such as 3D Scanning AS and 3Discovered working hard to ensure that those disasters won’t happen.
3D Scanning AS is based out of Norway, but has offices located all over the world. The company, a subsidiary of The Maritime Group of Norway, offers high-tech 3D scanning services to companies in several industries including maritime, petrochemical and civil engineering for maintenance and design purposes. Data is captured through 3D scanning and uploaded to create a point cloud, which can then be used to create CAD models or 3D prints for designers or maintenance workers, enabling them to work with the utmost precision and accuracy.
3D Scanning has now announced that they have formed a partnership with 3Discovered, a unique platform that facilitates the printing of top quality, commercial grade parts to manufacturers, distributors and service companies. We wrote about this company last year as they were starting up, and their future was looking promising. Part of 3Discovered’s appeal is their ability to easily replicate hard-to-find or even obsolete parts, saving manufacturers and maintenance workers a great deal of time and headaches. The new partnership makes 3Discovered the parts supplier for 3D Scanning’s cruise ship division.
“3D printed parts are an ideal match for our business which spans multiple ports and locations,” said Tore Enger, Executive Chairman of 3D Scanning AS. “Working with 3Discovered will allow us to source what we need, when we need it, and where we need it to better serve our cruise ship customers who are operating globally on very tight schedules.”
The services provided by the two companies will allow for equipment, both new and retrofitted, to be installed on cruise ships more quickly and accurately, eliminating errors and the type of corner-cutting that has been responsible for a number of cruise ship disasters over the last few years. (If you want to be horrified, just Google “Carnival cruise ship mishaps.”)
“3Discovered is very excited to partner with 3D Scanning,” said Peer Munck, Chief Executive Officer of 3Discovered. “Our distributed 3D printing fabrication platform makes a lot of sense for a geographically diverse operation such as 3D Scanning. A recognized innovator in its industry, 3D Scanning is again deploying the latest technologies and supply chain techniques in the most cost effective way to serve its customers and grow its business.”
Hopefully, the services provided by 3D Scanning and 3Discovered will allow those contemplating taking a cruise to feel more secure in the knowledge that their ships are likely to be well-maintained and safe. Discuss this partnership in the 3Discovered forum on 3DPB.com.
