3D Print Model Boats Redefines Marine Engineering

3D printing has turbo-charged innovation in the boat-building industry. Two maritime manufacturers from UAE – Al Seer Marine and Abu Dhabi Maritime collaborated to build the world’s first “3D-printed water taxi.” In November 2023, their launch, the 11.98-meter-long and 3.5-meter-wide vessel set the Guinness World Record for the largest 3D-printed boat. In October 2024, almost a year later, it holds the prestigious position and exemplifies how far marine engineering has come from handmade wooden canoes to 3D-printed ship models. With so much going on in the boat-building industry, Premier Ship Models UAE, explored how 3D print boat models revolutionize it.

3D Printing Adds Value Across the Boat-Building Cycle

The first step to building boats is researching and designing. 3D printed ship models help bring computer-aided designs to life. Here’s how 3D print models elevate the boat-building process:

Boat Molds for Large-Scale Projects

Large format 3D printing for technology for marine components enables engineers to print large molds. These models are then used to create vessels using traditional techniques.

Customizations

Ship engineers can 3D print customized model parts, such as air grids and spoilers to address the specific boat requirements according to its function. These are great for testing the products’ water resistance, durability, and strength.

Expedited Prototyping

Engineers use recyclable materials to 3D print sample model boats designed via computer-aided design software. These offer the engineers better insights into their process and the accuracy of their designs to meet ship-building goals. Clients can quickly validate 3D print boat models to take the production to the next step.

Spare Parts

3D printing desired parts of a worn-out vessel helps extend the lifetime and reduce maintenance downtime.

Advantages of 3D Print Model Boats

Premier Ship Models UAE has been exploring additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing) to bring classic and fantasy ships to life. Several compelling benefits make our clients choose 3D-printed ship models:

Cost Reduction

3D print model boats are built with no material loss. Zero waste, and reusable raw material helps both the environment and our clients with reduced carbon-footprint and costs respectively.

More Customizations

Since 3D models are first created on software, there is greater scope for customizing the color, material, logos, and interiors as per the buyer’s requirements.

Lightweight

The best feature of 3D-printed model boats is that they are lighter than usual handcrafted models. This makes it easy for customers to assemble and move their displays.

Faster Delivery

3D print model boats are produced within hours of design completion. This is extremely helpful for corporate clients with bulk orders, especially last-minute ones.

The Future of 3D Printed Ship Building

An ambitious target for the marine industry is to deploy additive manufacturing capacities on board large vessels to expedite maintenance on the go. However, it comes with its own challenges. For instance, the space requirements for industrial-grade 3D printing equipment to scale, staff training to use the printers, making the highest quality material available on-board to minimize time and operational loss during repairs. Premier Ship Models UAE will keep a watch on how the marine engineering industry adopts 3D printing as we continue to refine our offerings with exceptional models.