Can metal 3D printing be widely applied in the energy industry?

一,Technological Breakthrough: The Jump from the Lab to Industry
Since the idea for metal 3D printing came along in the 1980s, it has developed into three main technological systems: powder bed melting (PBF), directed energy deposition (DED), and binder jetting (BJT). Selective laser melting (SLM) technology has become the most popular method in the energy area because it has a density of over 99% and is accurate to the micrometer level. For instance, Siemens Energy's gas turbine burners made with SLM technology combine 13 welded pieces into one structure, which triples their lifespan and raises the amount of material used from 20% in traditional methods to over 90%.
The rate of technological change has sped up a lot. For example, the multi-laser collaborative system has made printing 30% more efficient, and the area printing technology uses pulse laser control to melt millions of light spots at once, which cuts down on the time it takes to make something. Platinum Technology's four-laser synchronous scanning method has cut the time it takes to print a single piece of aircraft engine blades by 40%. The research and development of new powders, like high entropy alloys and gradient materials, have led to 3D printed parts that work very well in nuclear reactors and hydrogen energy storage and transportation at high temperatures (>600 °C) and high pressures (>70 MPa).
二,Graph of Energy Industry Applications: From Key Parts to System Integration
1. The old energy sector
When making gas turbines, GE uses EBM technology to make nickel-based high-temperature alloy turbine discs. These discs improve cooling efficiency by 15% through lattice structure design and save carbon dioxide emissions by more than 5000 tons per unit per year. With its 90 industrial-grade 3D printers, Siemens Energy has been able to mass-produce 400 types of energy components. Each year, they make thousands of essential parts, like combustion chamber liners.
Westinghouse Electric has created a 3D-printed zirconium alloy cladding tube for nuclear energy equipment. This tube has a biomimetic lattice structure that makes cooling 15% more efficient and cuts the chance of microcracks that can happen during typical welding techniques by 90%. The Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences made a titanium/aluminum functionally graded material combustion chamber liner that has a thermal expansion coefficient of 0.1% at a high temperature of 1200 ℃. It lasts three times longer than traditional materials.
2. In the area of new energy
Linde Group makes high-pressure hydrogen storage tanks out of titanium alloy using LENS technology in the hydrogen energy business. The weight is cut by 35% and the hydrogen storage density is raised to 6.2wt%, which is 40% more than what typical steel storage tanks can hold. In the sphere of wind power, Vestas has created 3D-printed aluminum alloy tower connectors that make the towers lighter while keeping them strong. This cuts carbon dioxide emissions by up to 12 tons per year for each wind turbine.
The market for fixing geothermal power generation equipment has become a new area of growth. Iceland Geothermal Company used DED technology to fix the turbine rotor. The repair cost is just 30% of the cost of getting new parts, and the time it takes to undertake maintenance has gone down from 21 days to 72 hours.
三,The three main things that make large-scale applications possible
1. Cost reconstruction: changing "expensive test items" to "affordable options"
The cost reduction curve for equipment is quite important. For example, the price of SLM equipment made in China has gone down by 40% compared to foreign models. Also, the cost of one BLT-S400 triple laser system unit has been kept under 5 million yuan. The titanium alloy powder recovery rate of Hebei Iron and Steel Industry Intelligent Union is 98%, and the recreated powder meets the ASTM F3001 standard. This is a good example of how to set up a material recycling system. Every ton of recycled powder can cut down on the mining of primary ore by 12 tons.
2. A big step forward in standardization: going from "single piece customization" to "mass production"
Siemens Energy's 9-step quality control system has made the process of making 3D printed parts 99.97% stable, and the total operational time of its gas turbine parts has gone over 1.5 million hours. The process of getting industry certification is speeding up. The ASME BPVC specification now contains a clause for 3D printing component certification, and the API 6A standard now includes additive manufacturing in the scope of wellhead equipment certification.
3. Working together for the environment: from "Technology Island" to "Industry Alliance"
It's becoming more common for equipment makers and energy firms to work closely together. Nikon SLM Solutions and Siemens Energy have worked together in a lab to produce a specific process package for gas turbines. This has sped up the printing of nickel-based alloy parts by 25%. The GH4169 high-temperature alloy powder that AVIC Maite and Bolite worked on together has made it possible for gas turbine blades to last 95% as long as they would if they were forged.
四,Path of Challenge and Breakthrough
1. Technical roadblock
We still need to figure out how to make multi-material printing work with metals. The bimetallic printing technology created by EOS business can make joints between different materials that are 92% as strong as the base material. This is possible because the company can carefully manage the fusion boundary between nickel-based alloys and stainless steel.
2. Industrial cooperation
Building networks for distributed manufacturing is becoming very important. Siemens Energy's digital business platform has linked 50 recognized suppliers from all over the world and used blockchain technology to share printing parameters across businesses. This has led to 99.2% consistency of components in a multi-supplier environment.
3. Developing talent
There is a big talent gap in DfAM (Design for Additive Manufacturing). Using topology optimization tools, Siemens Energy's additive design team has cut the number of pieces in gas turbine components by 80% and the amount of cooling air flow by 30%.