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Researcher Prints Christmas Trees From Gas Turbine Steel
LONDON, December 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
This Christmas, a Siemens researcher is printing Christmas trees - using high-strength
special steel. There's a serious background to this personal pet project of his: 3D
printers are now being used to make spare parts for Siemens turbines from the same
material.
It takes twelve years of careful nurturing, weeding, straightening and trimming to
achieve exactly the right shape and size.
Olaf Rehme from Siemens Corporate Technology has found a way to speed things up. He's
printing Christmas trees - using a 3D printer. It takes just one day. Admittedly, his
trees are only five centimetres tall. And Christmas decorations from the 3D printer are
nothing new. To help him with his project, he's using the grabcad.com website, where
enthusiasts can download all kinds of templates for their 3D printers.
"Things have moved on," says Rehme. "Now it's not just the models and molds for
individual parts that are being manufactured - but the parts themselves. At Siemens, we're
even printing burner tips as spare parts for gas turbines." But the correct material is
crucial: At the temperatures well in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius that occur in gas
turbines, plastic parts would be totally inappropriate. They'd melt immediately.
That's why Rehme prints with steel powder, which is fused layer by layer using a
laser. This process is known in the trade as laser sintering. "For high-temperature
applications in turbines, we use nickel-based alloys. Steels of this kind are particularly
stable and heat-resistant," says Rehme. And that's exactly what he's used to print his
personal Christmas trees this year.
It's not just a gimmick: there's a serious background. 3D printing could revolutionize
the supply of spare parts. Today, spare parts are mass-produced, stored and sent out
individually as required. The worst-case scenario is that a power plant or factory has to
be switched off until the urgently needed spare part arrives. "In future, a network of 3D
printers could print out spare parts according to a digital blueprint," explains Ursus
Krüger, Rehme's boss.
What's more, 3D printing makes it possible to produce shapes that are beyond the
capability of other production methods. "Inside turbine blades, for example, there are
filigree ventilation channels used for cooling. These channels currently have to be
drilled or cast, and that's precisely where we're hitting our limits. If we could print a
turbine blade in one piece, this would probably improve the cooling process," says
Krüger.
Siemens
CONTACT: Laura Bennett, PR Manager, Tel: + 44 (0)1276 696374, Email: laura.bennett@siemens.com
Researcher Prints Christmas Trees From Gas Turbine Steel
LONDON, December 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
This Christmas, a Siemens researcher is printing Christmas trees - using high-strength
special steel. There's a serious background to this personal pet project of his: 3D
printers are now being used to make spare parts for Siemens turbines from the same
material.
It takes twelve years of careful nurturing, weeding, straightening and trimming to
achieve exactly the right shape and size.
Olaf Rehme from Siemens Corporate Technology has found a way to speed things up. He's
printing Christmas trees - using a 3D printer. It takes just one day. Admittedly, his
trees are only five centimetres tall. And Christmas decorations from the 3D printer are
nothing new. To help him with his project, he's using the grabcad.com website, where
enthusiasts can download all kinds of templates for their 3D printers.
"Things have moved on," says Rehme. "Now it's not just the models and molds for
individual parts that are being manufactured - but the parts themselves. At Siemens, we're
even printing burner tips as spare parts for gas turbines." But the correct material is
crucial: At the temperatures well in excess of 1,000 degrees Celsius that occur in gas
turbines, plastic parts would be totally inappropriate. They'd melt immediately.
That's why Rehme prints with steel powder, which is fused layer by layer using a
laser. This process is known in the trade as laser sintering. "For high-temperature
applications in turbines, we use nickel-based alloys. Steels of this kind are particularly
stable and heat-resistant," says Rehme. And that's exactly what he's used to print his
personal Christmas trees this year.
It's not just a gimmick: there's a serious background. 3D printing could revolutionize
the supply of spare parts. Today, spare parts are mass-produced, stored and sent out
individually as required. The worst-case scenario is that a power plant or factory has to
be switched off until the urgently needed spare part arrives. "In future, a network of 3D
printers could print out spare parts according to a digital blueprint," explains Ursus
Krüger, Rehme's boss.
What's more, 3D printing makes it possible to produce shapes that are beyond the
capability of other production methods. "Inside turbine blades, for example, there are
filigree ventilation channels used for cooling. These channels currently have to be
drilled or cast, and that's precisely where we're hitting our limits. If we could print a
turbine blade in one piece, this would probably improve the cooling process," says
Krüger.
Siemens
CONTACT: Laura Bennett, PR Manager, Tel: + 44 (0)1276 696374, Email: laura.bennett@siemens.com