AM Solutions Earns First KR Process Certificate for Laser Wire DED Metal Repair in Korea

AM Solutions has received a manufacturing process certificate from Korean Register (KR) for laser wire directed energy deposition (LW-DED) repair of metal structures. The certificate, presented on July 28, 2026 at the company's additive manufacturing center in Daejeon, is the first KR verification of an additive process used to restore damaged metal sections rather than only to build new parts. In the certified method, a laser melts metal wire and deposits it layer by layer onto the failed zone, rebuilding only the damaged area. Representatives from the Republic of Korea Navy, KR, the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH), Daejeon Metropolitan City, and Daejeon Technopark attended the ceremony.

Classification acceptance, not process theater, has been the main brake on metal AM in shipbuilding, offshore, and naval maintenance. Last year the International Association of Classification Societies issued Recommendation No. 186 on additively manufactured metallic parts for marine and offshore use; KR then revised its own additive guidelines into a scheme covering materials, processes, products, and manufacturing methods, including repair of existing structures. That repair scope aligns LW-DED with depot economics: shorter turnaround, lower cost than full replacement, and a path to keep discontinued or hard-to-source components in service.

For AM Solutions, KR process approval is a ticket into classed maritime and defense MRO work. Value will accrue only if shipyards and naval operators embed the certified repair route in recurring maintenance programs, not one-off demos.