VALVE MAGAZINE Fall 2024

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING CASE STUDY

same way that a harmonized material standard could be used, which for this example does not yet exist. Throughout the entire manufacturing process, material manufacturers must ensure the traceability of the finished products — down to the feedstock batch used. From the beginning of the qualifi cation and certification process, in this example, SAMSON established a clear separation between the maker of the blank (material manufacturer) and the maker of the pressure equipment (manu facturer and distributor of the equip ment). This enables SAMSON to procure the additively manufactured blank from a PED-certified material manufacturer, and further process this blank and market it as a PED-certified equipment manufacturer. Because SAMSON is also a certified additive material manufacturer, the company can manage the entire process in-house — from procuring the metal feedstock to delivering a finished valve. According to Article 4 (3) of the PED, manufacturers may only market pressure equipment operated at a very small gauge pressure or having very low pressure and volume, provided the equipment was designed and manufactured in accordance with sound engineering practices. In most valve applications, the pressure equipment exceeds this hazard classification, which means that equip ment manufacturers must ensure that the equipment has been designed and manufactured in accordance with the essential safety requirements set out in Annex I of the PED. To achieve compliance, equipment manufacturers must provide all technical documentation referred to in Annex III and carry out all relevant conformity assessment procedures referred to in Article 14 of the PED. After successfully completing these procedures, manufacturers must draft an EU declaration of conformity and affix the CE marking to the equipment, indi cating is has been certified by a relevant Notified Body. The specific conformity assessment procedure to be applied to the pressure equipment depends on its hazard level classification (Category I to IV in ascending level of hazard).

Examples of the additively manufactured samples. Source: SAMSON

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VALVE MAGAZINE

FALL 2024