3D打印行业访谈系列3D打印和可再生能源转向风能领域内的增雷电竞充值材制造。
一家公司开创了该领域内3D打印的公司GE可再生能源。“Additive manufacturing has the potential to bring a step-change in cost and performance competitiveness in the wind industry,” says GE Renewable Advanced Manufacturing Technology Leader Matteo Bellucci.
Bellucci shares the latest updates from GE’s ongoing efforts to improve wind turbine efficiency and performance with 3D printing and discusses the benefits of the technology to the wind energy sector.
The US saw风能在2020年以创纪录的速度增长，随着陆上风力发电的安装，几年来首次超过了太阳能。全国的离岸风管线在2020年增长了24％与上一年相比。另一个值得注意的新兴趋势涉及对使用近海风产生的兴趣增加清洁氢。
For the European Union (EU) to meet its 40 percent renewable energy target by 2026, it will need to install 32 GW of new wind farms per year between now and then. With wind installations in Europe2021年仅17.4 GW由于全球供应链问题和瓶颈，是否有3D打印的黄金机会可以增加其在空间中的采用？
通过3D打印来提高风能的竞争力
在2021年2月，GE被授予了670万美元的项目美国能源部(DoE) to explore the design and manufacture of3D打印的风力涡轮刀片。与之一起工作橡树岭国家实验室(ORNL) and the国家可再生能源实验室(NREL), GE seeks to increase the competitiveness of both onshore and offshore wind energy by leveraging 3D printing to reduce manufacturing costs and improve supply chain flexibility.
“已经对几种设计和过程概念以及新的热塑性材料进行了筛选，从而更好地清楚了我们将如何实现在刀片制造中使用3D打印的目标，以及其他高级流程，以及高度的自动化贝鲁奇说。
他解释说，使用3D打印和热塑性复合材料制造的涡轮刀片尖端将具有多种好处，包括比传统制造的配料更轻。轻巧的涡轮机上较大的转子可以产生更多的动力，同时还可以减轻整个涡轮机上的应变，从而减少其变速箱，传动系统，轴承和地基的磨损，并降低涡轮运算符的生命周期成本。
3D printed thermoplastic blade tips could also be melted down and recycled when they reach the end of life, an essential aspect of the project for GE Renewable Energy. The team is also exploring what other parts of the turbine blade could benefit from 3D printing technologies and thermoplastic materials to increase the component’s time-to-market, quality, and sustainability.
Bellucci says that not only will 3D printing bring cost and performance competitiveness benefits to the wind sector, but the technology will also “help GE Renewable support our customers in driving the energy transition farther and faster.”
在九月，Fraunhofer IGCVand binder jet system manufacturervoxeljetannounced they would be building the“world’s largest” wind turbine 3D printer迄今为止。该系统被称为“预先铸造单元”（ACC），专门为打印为GE海上铸造零件所需的模具Haliade-X涡轮机，每个涡轮都可以重达60吨。
贝鲁奇说：“该计划仅在几个月前就开始了，我们仍处于其概念发展的早期阶段。”“当我们讨论该项目去年年底授予该项目时，该项目的目的是加速和优化GE Haliade-X Offshore涡轮机的关键铸造组件的生产。具体而言，3D打印提供了在离岸风项目附近生产大型涡轮组件的灵活性，从而降低了运输成本并带来了环境福利。”
Bellucci says the project team is currently compiling the specification details for the printer, and then voxeljet will begin the design phase of the project, including the new printer’s mechanics.
Benefits of AM for wind energy
与雄心勃勃targets to cut greenhouse emissions, wind energy has become the subject of increasing attention to combat the global climate crisis. To this end, a significant amount of research is being poured into making wind turbines themselves more eco-friendly.
例如，NREL开发了一种用3D打印制造风力涡轮刀片这提高了他们的性能和寿命终止可回收性，而University of Maine正在生态友好涡轮刀片模具3D打印过程backed by $2.8 million in federal funding. Elsewhere, engineers fromMcGill UniversityandRyerson University正在努力将风力涡轮机叶片废物转换为小说3D可打印PLA纤维增强零件的材料。
Regarding GE, “3D printing technology is already mature in helping us with tooling for small and large components, and rapid prototyping with direct and immediate impact on the efficiency of our factory operations,” Bellucci says. “To use 3D printing directly into our products, it will still require some time, but the potential is very disruptive, and we are actively exploring different use cases.”
贝鲁奇说，查看整个再生能量组合不仅仅是风能，因为GE认为3D打印的所有传统好处取决于用例相关。这些好处包括上市时间，铸件模具的3D打印，更多的弹性，本地和敏捷的供应链以及提高质量一致性，主要由技术的自动化和数字化的性质驱动。
他继续说：“此外，3D打印为更有效的设计打开了大门，可以定制特定位置和应用程序。”“例如，虽然在给定地点的风力涡轮机的标准设计可能要求塔高90米，现场进行了更详细的分析，可能表明，在风场的一个特定部分中，高120米高更有意义。
“In that case, we can 3D print 30-meter tower components on-site to add to the existing, standard 90-meter base to get optimal performance.”
根据贝鲁奇（Bellucci）的说法，这种方法比现有实践更可持续。它不仅可以最大化可以产生的清洁，可再生能源的总量，而且还可以通过减少需要从长距离生产和运输的零件来降低项目的碳足迹。
用3D打印协助可再生能源过渡
Bellucci sees 3D printing helping GE Renewable Energy and the broader energy sector accelerate the transition to cleaner energy generation in many ways.
“It is generally a less energy-intensive manufacturing process and generates less waste,” he says. “For example, 3D printing will allow the exploration of new design practices, using tools like topology optimization, which is a design approach that enables our engineers to experiment with multiple designs to find the most efficient and cost-effective solution to a given challenge. As a result, our teams can use parts that take less energy to produce and create less waste.”
Bellucci还指出了该技术简化制造组装过程和物流的潜力，这有助于减少公司的碳足迹。
“3D printing can enable us to explore ways to improve a given component’s design by consolidating several different components into one part,” he explains. “A mechanical assembly that would normally have many parts fabricated as separate components and then be brought together can be additively manufactured as a single unit, with pieces being printed and combined even if the geometry of the combined unit is very complex.”
雷电竞充值增材制造允许GE减少需要设计和制造的零件数量，从而简化组装过程并提高其产品的耐用性和可靠性。合并有助于更有效的寿命拆卸过程，从而增强了公司的物质可恢复性和循环性。
贝鲁奇补充说：“ 3D打印也将使在我们的设计中更容易地将回收材料和二级材料流纳入我们的设计。”“例如，我们正在探索使用将在3D打印塔的新涡轮机的3D打印塔时使用将在退回的刀片中生产的材料的方法，从而有效地交叉汇总了我们与Holcim建立的两个有前途的合作伙伴关系。
“同样，我们正在探索使用3D打印与美国国防部支持新的高级风力涡轮机叶片的热塑性材料结合使用的方法。”
结合使用，这些3D打印创新可以大大减少生产新风力涡轮机所需的材料量。根据贝鲁奇（Bellucci）的说法，最近的生命周期评估（LCA）分析表明，这种先进的制造工艺可能会在塔顶的大型铸件中制造高达15％的温室气体排放。LCA还表明，先进的制造技术可以将温室气体排放量减少多达10％，而在制造高涡轮机塔期间，高达10％。
“Going forward, we will continue to collaborate with customers and other industry partners in developing innovative technology that helps to accelerate the energy transition in a way that is consistent with our focus on using sustainable, circular design to maximize environmental benefits for all stakeholders,” Bellucci concluded.
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Featured image shows涡轮刀片前往街区海上风电场。通过LM风力发电。
