PSI - Issue 79

Suzana Lampreia et al. / Procedia Structural Integrity 79 (2026) 81–87

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the process. On the step where the equipment is checked if it is working properly, if the response is yes, it is considered repaired and continuous condition monitoring should be applied. If the equipment is not functioning properly the AM material quality and production process should be re-evaluated and check its applicability on the chosen electro pump. 3.3 Concerns about AM implementation There are some operational and organizational concerns about implementing AM on board ships because it requires training and skills, some on job certification of the metric and quality, cybersecurity concerns, infrastructure or space needed for production and the economic costs. For training and skills, the technicians must understand AM processes, printer operation, post-processing, and qualification protocols. On certification, the printed parts should meet classification society standards so the AM produced components may be accurate and complying the regulations to maintain the integrity of the equipment’s it is installed. On cybersecurity the digital models and the registered storage database should be cybersafe. The infrastructure, considering power, ventilation, humidity, materials supply, and waste management onboard must be adapted to the concept of self-manufacturing, because it involves more waste in solids and chemical products on the after-treatment on post-manufactured. On economic concerns it should be considered the available budget versus printers and the eventual cost savings from inventory reduction, downtime avoidance and logistical savings supported by modelling studies. A simple SWOT analysis may present the challenges; considering weaknesses, threats, strengths, opportunities; of AM technology when applied to an electro pump maintenance system using the AM on spare parts manufacturing.

Table 1. Analysis of AM applied to electro pump spare parts based on SWOT.

SWOT

Positive Factors

Negative Factors

Strengths

Weaknesses

 Stock zero means less space needed for storage;  On-demand production at point of need;  Flexibility to produce obsolete or custom parts;  Enhanced supply chain efficiency and resilience;  Logistical independence.  Ships are almost always available and operational, even on sea;  Promotion of sustainability and circular economy practices;  Strategic digital supply chain transformation;  Innovative competitive advantage in defense logistics. Opportunities

 Stock zero means that spare parts are not available immediately;  Quality assurance and certification rules;  Technical and training requirements;  Equipment limitations and scalability constraints;  Depend on energy (electricity);  Dependence on digital infrastructure and material supply.  Institutional resistance and bureaucratic inertia;  Cybersecurity risks to digital manufacturing environment;  Supply chain dependencies and feedstock shortages;  Potential limitations in functionality of AM parts. Threats

Internal Factors

External Factors

On Table 1 it can be observed that AM may represent several strengths and opportunities, but also some weaknesses and threats. It is believed that with the properly cybersecurity implemented measures, the support on manufacturing, not only on board but also on organization support workshop inland, organized design libraries and quality assurance, it will be possible to have this technology almost fully implemented with success.