The Great Unlocking: How Additive Manufacturing is Reshaping Oil & Gas Supply Chains

The Oil & Gas industry is moving beyond the “3D printing for prototyping” narrative and scaling up to fully additive-manufacturing distributed digital supply chains that promise to eliminate billion-dollar inventory taxes, slash lead times from 52 weeks to seven days, and fundamentally redesign how spare parts are sourced, stored, and produced .

From Central Labs to Field Nodes: The Strategic Pivot

For years, additive manufacturing (AM) in oil and gas lived in centralized corporate laboratories. ExxonMobil initially concentrated its AM capabilities in Houston and New Jersey, focusing on non-metallic materials and early-stage prototyping . But the real value, the company realized, lies in the field—where a ruptured seal on a subsea control module can halt production for days or weeks while a replacement ships from thousands of miles away .

Christopher Beeson, Specialized Machinery Execution Supervisor and Additive Manufacturing Lead at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge site, is at the forefront of this shift. With over 30 years of experience beginning in manual welding, Beeson knows the physical reality of metal intimately. Now, he spends his days championing a future where spare parts exist primarily as digital files in the cloud .

“The catalyst for change,” Beeson notes, was the introduction of the API Standard 20S in 2021 . This standard provided the first major framework for metal additively manufactured components in petroleum and natural gas applications—giving manufacturers and operators a standardized path to qualification .

But the 2021 edition was just the beginning. As foundational as it was, it left operators with questions, particularly around newer process-specific standards like Directed Energy Deposition (DED) and non-destructive testing (NDT) criteria tailored specifically to AM .

The 2025 Update: API 20S Second Edition

The recently released second edition of API Standard 20S (2025) strengthens these requirements significantly . Key updates include:

• Alignment with ASME Section IX, QW-600 – This framework, specifically developed for DED-Arc processes (which use an arc welding heat source to deposit metal layers from wire feedstock), is now integrated into the standard, giving manufacturers a recognized structure for large-part AM qualification .
• New NDT Annex – The second edition introduces a dedicated annex providing inspection guidance, including how Additive Manufacturing Specification Levels (AMSL) apply, along with practical acceptance criteria examples .
• Scope 3 Emissions Reduction – By optimizing material use and reducing reliance on long-distance supply chains, the updated standard supports a significant reduction in Scope 3 emissions compared to traditional manufacturing methods .

Beeson emphasizes that once API 20S established a qualification pathway, ExxonMobil realized that Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technology had surpassed the density and reliability of traditional casting. The technology had matured enough for corporate headquarters to hand the reins to individual sites .

“My job is to scale additive manufacturing,” Beeson says, noting that focus has shifted to North American and Singapore sites, where demand for immediate, high-quality components is greatest .

Eliminating the “Inventory Tax”

The financial driver behind AM expansion is simple: reducing what insiders call the “inventory tax.” Oil and gas majors spend billions annually storing physical parts they may never use .

Consider the numbers. An internal ExxonMobil study on pump impellers found that 40% of stored units were eventually scrapped or never entered service because engineers re-rated pumps or replaced entire systems . Across the industry, traditional casting lead times for large components can stretch 12 to 14 months .

In one compelling case study, a valve service provider working with EOS’s Additive Minds consulting team produced a 3D-printed check valve for produced water pipelines—a notoriously corrosive application. The results:

The printed valve, produced using EOS PA 2200 (a nylon 12 known for strength, rigidity, and chemical resistance), withstood hydrostatic pressure tests to 450 psi and showed no creep or plastic deformation after one-hour extended testing .

The Digital Cloud: Competitors Sharing Files

ExxonMobil’s strategy extends beyond in-house production. The company is collaborating with competitors like Shell and ConocoPhillips through an industry-wide “digital cloud” known as the Field Node . In this environment, companies share non-proprietary 3D files. If a common pump volute fails, an engineer can check the cloud to see if another company has already scanned and qualified the component. This collaboration skips the expensive reverse engineering phase and moves directly to production .

Shell has also joined the SAMLE (Subsea Additive Manufacturing for Lifetime Extension) Joint Industry Project. This initiative, which includes Kongsberg Ferrotech, Equinor, Gassco, and SINTEF, has been developing advanced 3D printing technologies for in-situ, metal-to-metal repair of subsea assets since 2021 .

“We’re happy to be part of an exciting development,” said Angeline Goh, 3D Printing Technology Manager at Shell. “When we discovered this joint industry project, we realized that the repair methods have many applications within Shell’s global operations” .

The SAMLE project has identified applications including:

• Repair of cracks and dents
• Replacement of lost material
• Integration with Kongsberg Ferrotech’s inspection, repair, and maintenance (IMR) robots

The technology is suitable not only for subsea oil and gas but also for hydrogen transport grids, wind farms, and transmission cables . Supported by the Research Council of Norway through the PETROMAKS 2 program, the partners are now preparing for the world’s first test of 3D printing repairs in demanding ocean spaces .

Material Breakthroughs for Harsh Environments

For engineered designers, the material science behind these advances is critical. AM is not just about geometry—it’s about survival in aggressive environments.

Sandvik, celebrating 50 years of manufacturing metal powders at its Neath facility in the UK, produces over 2,000 different alloys under the Osprey brand . Their Osprey 2507 super duplex stainless steel powder offers exceptional corrosion resistance and high mechanical strength specifically for chemical processing, marine, and oil and gas applications .

ExxonMobil is pushing boundaries further. Through partnerships including one with Sandvik, the company has developed proprietary powder materials tailored specifically for refinery harsh environments, such as pyrolysis furnaces .

Beeson argues that LPBF technology offers “absolute advantages” over casting, noting that the industry’s continued reliance on traditional methods owes more to habit than performance . Meanwhile, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and Directed Energy Deposition (DED) are emerging as increasingly important fields—particularly suited for large cast-iron parts typically measuring 4 to 5 feet .

The Digital Readiness Bottleneck

For all its promise, AM faces a significant bottleneck: the “workflow gap.” Converting a 3D scan into a printable file requires addressing dozens of technical issues involving surface finishes, testing protocols, and post-processing .

To address this, the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) launched the Joint Industry Sprint (JIS O2) . This initiative uses “Digital Readiness Levels” (DRL) to create “digital passports” for components:

The ultimate goal is a “one-click” Request for Quotation (RFQ) system. When a digital package is ready, the project lead clicks one button and technical specifications go to qualified suppliers, eliminating weeks of administrative back-and-forth .

Solving the Talent Pipeline

AM scaling requires skilled personnel—but most mechanical engineers in traditional plants have minimal experience designing for additive processes, and there is currently no formal “union trade” for 3D printing .

ExxonMobil helped address this by co-founding the Louisiana Additive Manufacturing Accelerator (LAMA) . This collaboration establishes a Baton Rouge Center of Excellence (COE) serving as a “three-in-one” tool:

1. Hands-on training for ExxonMobil engineers
2. Access to industrial printers for the site
3. Economic development—students from LSU and other local universities can get certified on printer brands including EOS and Velo3D

The economics are compelling: LAMA’s premium membership provides 5,000 hours of free print time, meaning a $16,000 impeller costs only the price of the powder .

The Bottom Line for Engineered Designers

For those designing components for oil and gas applications, the message is clear: AM standardization has arrived. The API 20S second edition provides the framework for qualification. Materials from Sandvik and others provide the performance. Digital readiness initiatives provide the workflow.

And the results speak for themselves. In oil and gas, AM’s advantage lies in addressing “one-off” needs—when equipment fails in the field, printing one to three parts immediately. Beeson considers 20 to 30 prints per site per quarter a success metric. With approximately 100 sites globally, that represents a significant shift in supply chain scale .

As Beeson puts it: “Digital supply networks will drive AM to scale faster than anything else” .

Sources and Further Reading

1. EOS GmbH (April 2026). Scaling Additive Manufacturing in Oil & Gas: ExxonMobil’s Strategy. Link
2. World Ports (March 2026). Shell comes aboard subsea 3D printing joint industry project. Link
3. Inspenet (April 2025). API Standard 20S boosts 3D printing for oil and gas sustainability. Link
4. Sandvik Additive (January 2026). Osprey 2507 super duplex stainless steel powder launch. Link
5. EOS GmbH (April 2026 – Chinese/Japanese editions). Scaling AM in Oil & Gas: ExxonMobil’s Strategy. Link
6. World Oil (May 2025). 3D printing takes shape: The second edition of API 20S. Link
7. Manufacturing Digital (January 2025). Sandvik Celebrates 50 Years of Manufacturing Osprey Products. Link
8. Nanjixiong (January 2026). EOS 3D printed check valve: Lead time reduced from 52 weeks to 1 week. Link
9. BSB Edge (2025). API STD 20S:2025 – Qualification of Metal Additive Manufacturing Processes. Link