As part of a capstone project, an interdisciplinary project team at Louisiana State University (LSU) has fundamentally redesigned an energy industry component using metal 3D printing. The so-called anti-wicking device, a component for preventing liquid spillage in industrial systems, was redesigned and manufactured using laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) and design-for-additive-manufacturing (DFAM) principles. The aim was to improve functionality, ease of maintenance and manufacturability.
“This project reflects exactly the type of innovation additive manufacturing enables,” said Cody Durand, DFAM Application Engineer at Nikon SLM Solutions. “Taking a traditionally cumbersome and failure-prone component, and not just replacing it, but radically improving it — this is where metal AM shines.”
The original component was considered high-maintenance and prone to faults. Thanks to the additive manufacturing approach, the team was able to adapt the geometry in such a way that the sealing behavior, load-bearing capacity and modular interchangeability were significantly improved. At the same time, the production time was reduced from several months to just a few days. The additive design also enabled a weight-optimized structure that would not have been possible using conventional manufacturing methods.
“This capstone project really shows how additive manufacturing can enable academia, industry, service providers, and OEMs to work together to produce a part that is superior in every way.” said ExxonMobil’s Additive Manufacturing Lead for the Baton Rouge area, Christopher Beeson. “We’re proud to sponsor university capstone projects that limit students almost only by their imagination to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of our operations.”
Charlie Grace, Chief Commercial Officer of Nikon SLM Solutions, added:
“This collaboration shows what’s possible when forward-thinking industry partners, ambitious students, and leading-edge technology come together. Projects like this not only solve real-world problems — they shape the next generation of additive manufacturing talent. We’re proud to play a part in making that future a reality.”
The project was supported by Nikon SLM Solutions, ExxonMobil and Howco Additive and received awards for the best project implementation and the best final report at LSU. It is considered an example of the successful integration of academic teaching, industrial application proximity and state-of-the-art manufacturing technology.
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