Sintavia, a Florida-based metal 3D printing service, has signed a term sheet with Texas-headquartered metal alloys specialist, Howco, to advance additive manufacturing in the oil and gas sector.

Brian Neff, Chairman and CEO of Sintavia, said, “Many of the proprietary additive manufacturing processes that Sintavia has developed for the Aerospace & Defense industry apply equally to the Oil & Gas industry”

“We are excited to work with Howco to deliver the economic and technical benefits of AM to our joint customers in the Oil & Gas industry.”

Full metal additive service

Founded in 2012, Sintavia is a metal 3D printing expert. At its facility in Florida, Sintavia has powder bed fusion 3D printers from Concept Laser, SLM Solutions, and EOS, which are used to serve customers in the aerospace, automotive, and oil & gas sector. In addition to manufacturing, Sintavia also has a materials lab where metal powder is characterized and tested.

Sintavia has AS9100, ISO17025, and ANAB accreditations and uses blue light scanners and CT scanners from manufacturers including Nikon to test and qualify parts. Sintavia’s post-processing capabilities also include hot isostatic press (HIP) machines.

Last year, Sintavia received an investment from Sumitomo Corporation of America, a subsidiary of one of the largest Japanese corporation, Sumitomo Corporation. The money was invested to influence the oil and gas industry through additive manufacturing. The Sumitomo Corporation also owns Howco, which is one of the largest suppliers of chrome, duplex, stainless and nickel-based alloys in the oil and gas industry with facilities the U.S, China, and Dubai.

3D printing in oil & gas

The oil & gas industry has been a slow adopter of 3D printing technology, but in recent times the sector has been catching up. Among the companies active in this sector include Australian metal 3D printer manufacturer Aurora Labs and DNV GL, a Norway-based international standardization society for marine and oil & gas industry.

Furthermore, the U.S Department of Energy (DoE) is also actively looking to promote energy efficient solution using 3D printing.

The partnership between Sintavia and Howco will have a further impact on the oil and gas industry. The joint venture is expected to begin later this year. It will operate under Howco Group and will be located in Houston and will focus on materials currently available in the aerospace, defense, and oil and gas industry.

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Featured image shows Brian Neff, CEO of Sintavia with David Preston, Howco Group’s Executive Vice President, signing the term sheet. Image via Sintavia.