Long Beach, California—  In a powerful collaboration between industry, academia, and additive manufacturing leaders, ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Complex has successfully sponsored a senior capstone project at Louisiana State University (LSU), culminating in the additive redesign and production of a critical machinery component.

The project focused on the Machinery Anti-Wicking Device, a part used in rotating equipment to prevent lubrication oil from wicking up thermocouple wires and damaging sensitive instrumentation. Traditionally manufactured through machining an aluminum billet, the device was reimagined for metal additive manufacturing using a Nikon SLM®280 system provided by Howco Additive.

Over the course of the project, LSU’s Capstone Team 54 (comprised of Brennon Broussard, Jude Rogers, Matthew Shannon, Garrett Valley, and Robin Torres ) worked alongside Nikon SLM Solutions DFAM experts Cody Durand and Brenna Dowrey, with David Ramirez from Howco Additive providing additional design-for-AM support and printing expertise.

Leveraging Laser Powder Bed Fusion (L-PBF) technology and DFAM principles, the team developed a more efficient, lightweight, and maintenance-friendly version of the anti-wicking device, demonstrating improved sealing, durability, and modularity, while reducing manufacturing lead time from months to days.

The project’s success was recognized in LSU’s College of Engineering, where Team 54 earned both the Ben Burns Jr. Memorial Award for Best Capstone Project and the Award for Best Capstone Report.

“This project reflects exactly the type of innovation additive manufacturing enables,” said Cody Durand, DFAM Application Engineer at Nikon SLM Solutions. “Taking a traditionally cumbersome and failure-prone component, and not just replacing it, but radically improving it — this is where metal AM shines.”

“This capstone project really shows how additive manufacturing can enable academia, industry, service providers, and OEMs to work together to produce a part that is superior in every way.” said ExxonMobil’s Additive Manufacturing Lead for the Baton Rouge area, Christopher Beeson. “We’re proud to sponsor university capstone projects that limit students almost only by their imagination to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of our operations.”

Charlie Grace, Chief Commercial Officer of Nikon SLM Solutions, added:
“This collaboration shows what’s possible when forward-thinking industry partners, ambitious students, and leading-edge technology come together. Projects like this not only solve real-world problems — they shape the next generation of additive manufacturing talent. We’re proud to play a part in making that future a reality.”

By combining academic ingenuity, ExxonMobil’s commitment to innovation, and the technological capabilities of Nikon SLM Solutions and Howco Additive, the project provides a powerful use case for how next-generation manufacturing is shaping the future of energy infrastructure.

About ExxonMobil

ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy and petrochemical companies, creates solutions that improve quality of life and meet society’s evolving needs.

The corporation’s primary businesses – Upstream, Product Solutions and Low Carbon Solutions – provide products that enable modern life, including energy, chemicals, lubricants, and lower emissions technologies. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading portfolio of resources, and is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants, and chemical companies in the world. ExxonMobil also owns and operates the largest CO2 pipeline network in the United States. In 2021, ExxonMobil announced Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emission-reduction plans for 2030 for operated assets, compared to 2016 levels. The plans are to achieve a 20-30% reduction in corporate-wide greenhouse gas intensity; a 40-50% reduction in greenhouse gas intensity of upstream operations; a 70-80% reduction in corporate-wide methane intensity; and a 60-70% reduction in corporate-wide flaring intensity.

With advancements in technology and the support of clear and consistent government policies, ExxonMobil aims to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions from its operated assets by 2050. To learn more, visit exxonmobil.com and ExxonMobil’s Advancing Climate Solutions.