Visions, Concepts, and Applications in Additive Manufacturing for Yacht Design

Abstract

3D scanning and modeling in yacht design and manufacturing allow for a high level of geometric precision and formal freedom while also achieving many of the functional performance criteria required in the marine industry. Additive manufacturing technologies present new opportunities for design manufacturing, shifting prototyping from an intermediate operation to more direct applications in the production field limited only by the scale and material constraints of current 3D printing equipment. Future scenarios for this type of application in yacht manufacturing introduce the possibility to conceive of alternative design systems including larger elements integrating different materials with varied thicknesses and densities to satisfy the complex material, structural, and mechanical requirements of sophisticated marine components. In the not too distant future we can imagine 3D printing as a feasible way to produce entire yachts, especially for small series or one-off productions.