The Emirates National Oil Company of the United Arab Emirates used 3D printing to accurately model its planned facilities.
Enoc 3d Printing Market ENOC chose Generation 3D, based in Dubai, to create a 6-meter architectural hybrid model for its current and future refinery facilities for two primary reasons.
To begin, the management of Enoc desired a tangible representation of their ambitious expansion strategy. Second, at the Water, Energy, Technology Environment Exhibition (Wetex) 2017 in Dubai, the model showed the finished product of the entire 900 square meter site to the Enoc board, partners, and customers. It is now on display at Enoc's corporate headquarters.
The difficulty For Generation 3D, the difficulty began with a highly technical plan for reverse engineering that called for reworking data gathered from the existing site in order to produce files that can be manufactured in full 3D. The 3D laser scanning or light detection and ranging (Lidar) technology was used to collect this data. Two months were spent on this alone.
Following this, Generation 3D's designers started using specialized CAD software and methods to reverse engineer the Enoc oil refinery site. To cut down on lead time and increase productivity, this was done simultaneously with the site scanning team and the 3D printing team.
Enoc's building contractor simultaneously sent Generation 3D AutoCAD-formatted plans for the future development. In order to enhance file management, the developers of Generation 3D combined a number of CAD programs, including Magics, Bentley MicroStation, 3DS Max, and Pixologic ZBrush. After that, the team converted each and every construction plan meticulously into 3D printable files, a process that takes time and skill.
In order to guarantee total transparency throughout the project, Enoc's engineers were frequently invited to examine the ongoing work, discuss updates, and offer feedback. The 3D designs were exported to Generation 3D's in-house 3D print room for overnight manufacturing after being approved.
The technology The Generation 3D designers used selective laser sintering three-dimensional printing for this project. This was made possible by the durable nylon used, the high accuracy and tolerance threshold (accuracy to 50 microns), and the adaptability of the printing techniques.
Along with the manual construction of the model base and podium, the designs were group together into batches and 3D printed. The project was made more efficient and lead times were greatly reduced as a result of this combination of manual and digital manufacturing.
Modifications and adaptability The model's layout makes it simple to modify and update individual zones in the event of site plan changes.
