SAMSON – a world-leading supplier of valves, actuators and smart flow control systems – has been certified for its additively manufactured pressure equipment for use within the scope of the European Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/EU (PED). The certificate issued by TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH confirms that SAMSON is qualified to additively manufacture high-quality pressure equipment in series and to place this equipment on the market. This certification is a major achievement in valve engineering.
Additive manufacturing is of strategic importance to SAMSON since it opens up new opportunities that go beyond conventional manufacturing methods. 3D printing, as the method is more commonly known, offers SAMSON new ways of optimizing its products and supply chain processes to better serve its customers. Additive manufacturing also helps SAMSON meet the increasingly stringent requirements that apply in certain industries, such as chemicals, petrochemicals or oil and gas.
Mr. Domagoj Vnucec, head of SAMSON's ROLF SANDVOSS INNOVATION CENTER (RSIC): "The certification represents a major leap forward for our additive manufacturing capabilities. It underlines our company's commitment to innovation and quality in the interest of our process industry customers. Thanks to cutting-edge technology, we can deliver pressure equipment that meets the highest quality and safety standards."
Valves are classified as pressure equipment if they are operated at a maximum permissible pressure (PS) of more than 0.5 bar. The Directive 2014/68/EU applies to the economic operators (manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers and distributors), material manufacturers, operators of pressure equipment as well as the notified bodies or user inspectorates, which are commissioned to conduct conformity assessments. The Directive regulates the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies.
Mr. Jörg Keller, TÜV SÜD Industrie Service GmbH: "SAMSON has tackled the strict requirements of the Directive head-on and successfully applied its innovative additive manufacturing capabilities to produce compliant pressure equipment. The process involved performing a series of risk analyses followed by strength calculations with higher factors of safety as well as extensive inspections and testing to ensure that the products meet the requirements for category III equipment. SAMSON successfully completed the certification process and can now series-manufacture and market pressure equipment in compliance with the Pressure Equipment Directive."
SAMSON is a world-leading supplier of process automation solutions with an extensive range of products and services for the chemical, petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries. Thanks to its global network of production sites, sales and after-sales service centers as well as service partners, SAMSON helps customers across the globe to optimize their plant performance.