Case Study: Shell achieves third-party CE certification for safety-critical 3D printed parts with LRQA

Shell cuts replacement time from 16 weeks to 2 with LRQA

Shell aimed to establish consistent quality assurance processes for their additive manufacturing operations to ensure reliability in safety-critical applications, particularly where regulation and accepted global standards were lacking. They partnered with vendor LRQA to address this challenge.

LRQA helped Shell become the first company in Europe to achieve third-party CE certification for an additive manufactured part, specifically a pressure vessel certified in accordance with the European Pressure Equipment Directive (PED). This milestone established a path for certifying such equipment and has already delivered substantial savings; in one instance, a replacement part was produced in two weeks instead of sixteen, reducing maintenance costs by 90% and preventing a production shutdown.

Shell