{"id":30612,"date":"2025-12-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?p=30612"},"modified":"2025-12-03T11:20:58","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T11:20:58","slug":"3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/","title":{"rendered":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Embracing 3D printing can optimised production and enhanced the ability to pioneer new solutions for the subsea world. The future of manufacturing is flexible, on-demand, and ready for any challenge. Sasha Bruml and Felix Manley report<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep beneath the ocean\u2019s surface, where pressure is immense and conditions are unforgiving, cutting-edge technology is essential. This is the world of Applied Acoustics Ltd, a company that specialises in mission-critical subsea navigation and marine seismic survey equipment. The company\u2019s instruments must not only perform with pinpoint accuracy but also endure some of the harshest environments on Earth. To stay at the forefront of this demanding industry, Applied Acoustics needed a manufacturing partner who could match their pace of innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Innovation can move at lightning speed, but traditional manufacturing often struggles to keep up. Applied Acoustics faced significant hurdles that were acting as a brake on its development and production cycles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Lead Times<\/strong>. Sourcing components through conventional methods meant waiting weeks, or even months, for moulds and initial production runs \u2014 a timeline that felt like an eternity for urgent projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 The Cost of Customisation<\/strong>. The high cost of tooling made producing small, highly customised batches of parts prohibitively expensive, stifling the ability to create truly bespoke solutions for the company\u2019s clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Design Constraints<\/strong>. Optimised designs were often compromised to fit within the limitations of traditional manufacturing, forcing a choice between ideal performance and production feasibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These challenges came into sharp focus during the development of the company\u2019s BluFin beacon tester (see below). Engineers needed a housing that could precisely accommodate the PCB assembly while meeting demanding dimensional specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The search for a suitable off-the-shelf enclosure proved fruitless, and while injection moulding was technically an option, the tooling costs and high minimum order quantities would have pushed the product beyond a viable price point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An attempt to bridge the gap with a desktop 3D printer only highlighted the limitations of in-house equipment, with inconsistent quality and lack of repeatability halting progress. It was only when Applied Acoustics turned to professional third-party 3D printing that they found a path forward, unlocking the freedom to design and manufacture components without compromise and breaking free of the restrictions imposed by traditional manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Strategic manufacturing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applied Acoustics sought a solution for components where traditional manufacturing methods hit their limits on speed or cost, and a solution which opened up the possibility for increased geometric complexity if future products required it. By strategically adding 3D printing to its manufacturing toolkit, the company could use the best process for each specific job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company partnered with 3D People to harness the power of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) for these key applications. This wasn\u2019t about replacing its established processes but enhancing them \u2014 unlocking a new level of agility and design freedom where it was needed most, and delivering a decisive competitive advantage for its most innovative components.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for Applied Acoustics says, \u201cSince our first order with 3D People the experience has been flawless. From the speed of obtaining pricing via their live quotation system to the receipt of order, where the final quality has always been exceptional. After many years of using conventional manufacturing processes, 3D printing has allowed us to create bespoke parts which in the past would have not been possible due to cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BluFin Beacon Tester<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The protective casing for the BluFin is the user\u2019s first point of contact with the device. It needed to be tough, precise, and professional. 3D People produced the two-part case and lid in SLS PA12 Nylon, finished with a sleek black dye and vibro polish. The result is a premium, durable enclosure that perfectly marries form and function, delivered without the lead time or cost of injection moulding.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
The BluFin Beacon Tester<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

HydraSeis Multi-Channel Seismic Streamer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sophisticated system relies on hundreds of small components to maintain its structural integrity. 3D People manufacture thousands of array spacers in SLS PA12 Nylon. These are not just plastic rings, they are critical supports for a complex, oil-filled cable packed with sensitive electronics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The spacers are printed in two distinct colours. Natural White spacers are used on the main cable, while vibrant Pastel Orange spacers denote the optional \u2018Stretch Section\u2019. This simple visual cue allows operators to instantly identify the more flexible parts of the streamer, a critical detail for deployment and handling.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
3D printed array spacers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The journey with these parts began in prototyping, where early 3D printed batches validated function and dimensions before launch. Once the HydraSeis entered production, on-demand printing enabled Applied Acoustics to seamlessly fulfil incoming customer orders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, with the product firmly established, Applied Acoustics also draw on 3D People\u2019s capabilities to routinely replenish their own inventory, demonstrating the flexibility and responsiveness of additive manufacturing at every stage of the product lifecycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shift to 3D printing has unlocked powerful benefits for Applied Acoustics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 From Weeks to Days<\/strong>. The ability to move from a final design to having physical parts in hand within days has revolutionised Applied Acoustics workflow, enabling rapid prototyping and fulfilling urgent client needs at incredible speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Smarter Economics<\/strong>. By eliminating the initial investment required for traditional tooling, producing low-volume, custom parts becomes more economical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Design Without Compromise<\/strong>. Applied Acoustics\u2019 engineers are no longer constrained by the limitations of traditional manufacturing. They now have the freedom, when required, to design complex, highly optimised parts, confident they can be produced exactly as envisioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sasha Bruml and Felix Manley are Co-Founders, 3D People<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Embracing 3D printing can optimised production and enhanced the ability to pioneer new solutions for the subsea world. The future of manufacturing is flexible, on-demand, and ready for any challenge. Sasha Bruml and Felix Manley report Deep beneath the ocean\u2019s surface, where pressure is immense and conditions are unforgiving, cutting-edge technology is essential. This is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[199],"tags":[13295,376,14116],"class_list":["post-30612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-news-views-and-opinion","tag-3d-people","tag-3d-printing","tag-applied-acoustics"],"yoast_head":"\n3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Embracing 3D printing can optimised production and enhanced the ability to pioneer new solutions for the subsea world. The future of manufacturing is flexible, on-demand, and ready for any challenge. Sasha Bruml and Felix Manley report Deep beneath the ocean\u2019s surface, where pressure is immense and conditions are unforgiving, cutting-edge technology is essential. This is …\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Engineer News Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"317\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"274\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\"},\"headline\":\"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":921,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/image.png\",\"keywords\":[\"3D People\",\"3D printing\",\"Applied Acoustics\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News, Views and Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/\",\"name\":\"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/image.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/image.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/12\\\/image.png\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Engineer News Network\",\"description\":\"The ultimate online news and information resource for today's engineer\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/admin\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network","og_description":"Embracing 3D printing can optimised production and enhanced the ability to pioneer new solutions for the subsea world. The future of manufacturing is flexible, on-demand, and ready for any challenge. Sasha Bruml and Felix Manley report Deep beneath the ocean\u2019s surface, where pressure is immense and conditions are unforgiving, cutting-edge technology is essential. This is …","og_url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/","og_site_name":"Engineer News Network","article_published_time":"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":317,"height":274,"url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1"},"headline":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world","datePublished":"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/"},"wordCount":921,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png","keywords":["3D People","3D printing","Applied Acoustics"],"articleSection":["News, Views and Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/","name":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world - Engineer News Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png","datePublished":"2025-12-18T09:00:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/image.png"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/3d-printing-pioneers-new-solutions-for-the-subsea-world\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"3D printing pioneers new solutions for the subsea world"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/","name":"Engineer News Network","description":"The ultimate online news and information resource for today's engineer","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4477342aea8e299c6a21761e513ea8e1","name":"admin","url":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30615,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30612\/revisions\/30615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.engineernewsnetwork.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}