3D Printing Transforms Energy Manufacturers
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Vestas is the largest maker of wind turbines in the world. Vestas Some of the world’s largest and most advanced manufacturers in oil, gas, electric, and wind are embracing 3D printing’s ability to deliver critical parts anywhere in the world faster and more efficiently than traditional manufacturing methods in a effort to cut costs, spur innovation, and boost sustainability. Case in point: Vestas, the world’s largest wind energy company, designs, manufactures, installs, and services wind turbines in 87 countries. For this multinational, turning to 3D printing custom parts, specialized tools, and prototypes in-house has revolutionized their operations, according to Jeremy Haight, principal engineer of additive manufacturing and advanced concepts at Vestas. “We launched a pilot 3D printing program, and we saw genuine ROI within about six months. It performed far better than we even thought it would,” says Haight. The company used to source critical components and tools from multiple vendors around the world based on detailed manufacturing instructions, for example, for milling aluminum. The finished parts would take six to 12 weeks to produce and then were sent to the various Vestas sites, inspected for compliance, and — once approved — put to use. Yet, some parts were not 100% to spec, resulting in costly delays. Vestas needed a better way to have the exact same part manufactured to strict specifications reliably anywhere in the world. Vestas 3D printed a wind turbine lighting tip receptor prototype in-house saving weeks compared to … [+] machining an aluminum prototype. Markforged The solution they found was 3D printing. Each of their global facilities would have the same brand and type of industrial carbon-fiber 3D printer, a Markforged X7, with access to a secure online repository of digital part designs and detailed 3D printer settings. The program launched in 2021 and is today…
Filed under: News - @ December 3, 2023 10:04 am