Siemens Inc., Germany, announces that it has won an International 3D Printing Industry Award in the category “3D Printing Application of the Year” for the first successful worldwide test of gas turbine blades produced via additive manufacturing.
The turbine blades were installed in a 13-megawatt SGT-400-type industrial gas turbine. The printed turbine blades were produced from a high-temperature-resistant, powdered polycrystalline nickel-base superalloy. They are able to withstand the high pressures, extreme temperatures, and centrifugal forces that arise during turbine operation.
Earlier this year, Siemens announced a breakthrough in 3D printing: an international project team with contributions from Siemens engineers in Finspång/Sweden, Lincoln/U.K. and Berlin/Germany together with experts from Materials Solutions in Worcester/U.K. The team successfully completed performance testing under full-load conditions of the first gas turbine blades ever to be produced by additive manufacturing.
Over the past few weeks, readers of “3Dprintingindustry.com,” a leading online news source in the industry, voted this achievement to be the best 3D printing application of the year.
“We are very glad to receive this award for our printed turbine blades, and we are especially proud as the votes are from members of the Additive Manufacturing community,” says Phil Hatherley, General Manager Materials Solutions – A Siemens Business. “With this award, we show that Siemens as a technology driver can play a decisive role in the future of Additive Manufacturing. And we are ready to take the next steps in this development.”
Additive manufacturing has the potential to become a key technology in the production of gas turbine components. Siemens has been investing in this innovative technology right from its inception, and is now driving the industrialization and commercialization of these processes. In addition to turbine blades, Siemens is applying the technology to build burner tips and burner nozzles, and to repair burner heads. The international team of experts with the innovation centers located in Sweden, Germany, and the United Kingdom, are transforming the new design possibilities into specific solutions for Siemens’ customers.
www.siemens.com/press/3D-printing
