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To answer these pressures, high-quality, reliable and high-performance components that meet or exceed design criteria are necessary, and they need to be delivered in shorter design cycles.
For over 30 years, additive manufacturing (AM) has been used by the largest manufacturing companies across a range of industries – including energy and turbomachinery – to enhance the capabilities and reliability of technical equipment, as well as create new efficiencies.
With its limitless design flexibility, additive manufacturing makes it possible for turbomachinery manufacturers to create and rapidly iterate components that would not otherwise be possible using traditional production methods. For instance, when not constrained by a part’s manufacturability, turbomachinery manufacturers can focus on optimising functionality by including features such as conformal cooling channels and introducing novel gas and fluid flow.
This can allow turbines to operate at temperatures well past the melting point of most metals. As a result, fuel efficiency and component lifetimes dramatically increase, leading to longer turbomachinery uptime and greater power generation yield.
How AM helps turbomachinery manufacturers adapt to lean manufacturing
Smooth workflow: Streamline operations with end-to-end additive manufacturing solutions, from design software and advanced 3D printing technologies to high-performance materials, post-processing and inspection.
Increase quality: Reduce maintenance, repair, overhaul (MRO) and increase uptime with optimised turbomachinery components design.
Limit waste: Reduce material waste compared to traditional subtractive manufacturing methods.
Right things: Design the right product, optimised for performance, with limitless geometric complexity.
Right place: Increase efficiencies by localising production.
Right time: Enjoy on-demand manufacturing and fast production with no tooling or components storage.
Right quantity: Easily scale solutions and support customers by taking advantage of 3D Systems’ advanced manufacturing capabilities.
Through 3D Systems’ proprietary stereolithography (SLA) QuickCast® methodology for 3D printing investment casting patterns, their metal 3D printing technologies, and decades of accumulated expertise, they help turbomachinery manufacturers and suppliers find optimal solutions for their most challenging application requirements.
Through the 3D Systems technology transfer programme, they help turbomachinery and turbine components manufacturers identify the right solution for their needs and fully establish their own additive manufacturing capabilities, while eliminating hidden costs and accelerating ramp times.
For more information visit www.3dsystems.com/turbomachinery
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.