Additive manufacturing is garnering a lot of attention, especially from some big companies. The latest to move into this industry is Siemens. The company recently opened a production facility for metal 3D printed components in Finspång, Sweden.
Siemens plans to mass manufacture and repair metal parts using additive manufacturing. Rapid prototyping and rapid repair are already used by company personnel in some commercial applications.
The new production facility will feature direct metal laser sintering machines from EOS, which cost around $850,000 each.
Siemens is looking to develop new and improved components for the industrial gas turbine SGT-800 at a faster rate and shorten repair times from months to weeks.
The workshop will employ 20 operators and engineers who will use rapid prototyping for components in Siemens’ series of industrial gas turbines, for the power industry. 3D printing allows lattice structures with better heat transfer and fuel mixing, better coating adhesion, and new alloys. Siemens have demonstrated lattice structure in blades, fuel strainers and compressor impellers.
