Siemens produces turbine using 3D printing
Frankfurt — German engineering group Siemens has run a successful test of power generation gas turbine blades produced wholly by metal-based three-dimensional (3D) printing by UK-based Materials Solutions, which it bought last year. Siemens said on Monday it was the first to test such blades under full-load engine conditions at 13,000 revolutions per minute and temperatures above 1,250°C. It called the test a "breakthrough". 3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, involves making a three-dimensional object by adding ultra-thin layers of material one by one, following a digital design, in contrast to conventional manufacturing, where excess material is cut away. "This is a breakthrough success for the use of additive manufacturing in the power generation field, which is one of the most challenging applications for this technology," Willi Meixner, head of Siemens’s power and gas division, said. Siemens’s US rival General Electric (GE) bought two 3D printing firms last year fo...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.