3D Printed Impellers: Innovative Technologies Lead Manufacturing
In the processing of impeller prototypes, 3D printing is a better processing method for products with complex curved surface structures like impellers, which can reduce material costs and waiting time.
3D Printed Impellers: Innovative Technology Leads to Manufacturing Revolution
The rapid rise of 3D printed impellers in the manufacturing industry is gradually changing the landscape of traditional impeller manufacturing. 3D printed impellers offer significant advantages over traditional manufacturing methods.
First of all, it excels in weight loss. For example, the world's first 3D-printed hollow propeller blades made by France defense contractor Naval Group in collaboration with Centrale Nantes, the France School of Engineering, can reduce weight by 40% in full-scale 3D printed blades. This not only reduces the use of materials and costs, but also reduces the load on the engine, reducing fuel consumption and the ship's environmental impact.
Secondly, the manufacturing time is significantly reduced. Siemens engineers use additive manufacturing to produce a new type of gas turbine blade that reduces the design-to-production cycle from two to two months. RMS worked with a refinery customer to use a 3D printed PBF-LB process to manufacture a replacement impeller, reducing lead times by 50 percent.
3D printed impellers enable complex designs. It is difficult for traditional manufacturing methods to achieve the molding of complex special-shaped ceramic cores such as multi-layer wall cores, and 3D printing technology provides an innovative way to form complex special-shaped ceramic cores. At the same time, the development of unsupported metal 3D printing technology has made it possible to manufacture complex parts such as closed impellers.
In addition, 3D printed impellers have improved performance. For example, the improved blade design improves efficiency and durability while reducing radiated noise and vibration that negatively affect marine animals. The closed impeller manufactured by binder jet metal 3D printing technology not only maintains accuracy and density, but also reduces the process of mold opening and compression molding, greatly shortens the production cycle of the product, and the mechanical properties of the product not only meet but far exceed the standard requirements of 316L stainless steel casting.
3D printing is becoming a new option for impeller prototyping. Traditional impeller machining methods, such as five-axis CNC or casting, tooling, etc., are suitable for mass production, but as prototype production, it will lead to high processing costs and long machining cycles. 3D printing, on the other hand, is processed by accumulating layers of products, and the processed products do not need to be turned and milled like machining, which is a better processing method for products with complex curved structures such as impellers.
Nylon glass fiber material has unique characteristics in 3D printed impeller prototypes. Nylon glass fiber powder is a glass bead-filled (up to 30% glass fiber) polyamide 12 powder that has better stiffness and elongation at break than nylon. 3D printed nylon glass fiber products have high mechanical strength and toughness, and the material hardness is high, which is suitable for functional prototypes. Its characteristics include high stiffness, wear resistance, improved temperature performance, good thermal load capacity, excellent surface quality, high dimensional accuracy and detail resolution, and good processing performance. Application examples include full-featured high-quality rapid prototyping engine components, components that require high rigidity and resistance to thermal deformation, such as hard housings, wear and wear requirements on parts, parts used at high temperatures, final sections within the automotive engine area, deep drawing dies and any other application that requires specific stiffness, high heat deflection temperature and low wear. At present, the material commonly used in 3D printing impellers is nylon, nylon glass fiber or metal, and the general printing accuracy is 0.2mm. The plastic impeller can be printed with nylon glass fiber and is laser sintered using the SLS process.
Metal impellers can be made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, and other materials in 3D printing. The advantages of metal impeller are high forming accuracy and short cycle, breaking through the traditional metal processing process, it can make internal special-shaped or conformal hollow structure, and the work efficiency and cost of the impeller can be optimized with lightweight structure design. For example, a binder-jet metal 3D printing device can manufacture a 316L stainless steel closed impeller with a minimum wall thickness of 0.8mm, a dimensional accuracy of ±0.1mm, and a surface roughness of ≤3.2um. After sintering, the average tensile strength of 316L material is 541.45MPa, the lower yield strength is 312.04MPa, and the elongation rate also reaches 54.98%, indicating that the mechanical properties of the product after sintering not only meet but far exceed the standard requirements of 316L stainless steel casting. And the internal pores of the product have been basically completely closed, which meets the requirements of most working conditions. Based on the advantages of casting 3D printing technology, Shared Intelligent Equipment has developed a variety of adhesive jet metal 3D printing equipment and a full set of pretreatment and post-processing equipment, with a forming accuracy of ±0.1mm, which can provide 3D printing products of stainless steel, tungsten alloy, copper alloy, high-temperature alloy, composite materials, ceramics and other materials, which are widely used in aerospace, military, automotive, electronics, new energy, semiconductor and other industries.
Technology trends
With the continuous advancement of science and technology, 3D printing impeller technology will develop in the direction of higher precision, more complex structures, and more material options. In terms of accuracy, future 3D printed impellers are expected to achieve higher dimensional accuracy and surface quality that will approach or even surpass traditional machining methods. For example, some advanced 3D printing equipment is already capable of achieving a dimensional accuracy of ±0.1mm, which may be further improved to ±0.05mm or even higher in the future. In terms of structural complexity, with the continuous improvement of unsupported printing technology, the design of the impeller will be more free, and more complex internal flow channels and blade shapes can be realized, improving the performance and efficiency of the impeller. At the same time, more new materials will be applied to 3D printed impellers, such as special alloy materials with high strength and high heat resistance and high-performance composite materials to meet the special requirements of different industries for impellers.
Market demand grows
As the demand for high-performance, high-efficiency equipment continues to increase in various industries, the market demand for 3D printed impellers will continue to grow. In the aerospace sector, lightweight, high-performance impellers are essential to improve aircraft performance and reduce fuel consumption. According to statistics, the global 3D printed turbine blade market size is expected to continue to expand at a certain growth rate from 2024 to 2030. In the automotive industry, the widespread use of turbocharging technology has led to an increasing demand for automotive supercharger impellers. 3D printing technology can provide automakers with more efficient and low-cost impeller manufacturing solutions. In the energy and power industry, the performance of the impeller, the core component of pumps, fans and other equipment, directly affects the energy conversion efficiency. 3D printing impeller technology can be customized and manufactured according to different working environments and requirements, improving the efficiency and stability of equipment and reducing energy consumption.
Industry collaboration and innovation
In the future, the development of 3D printing impeller technology will require close cooperation and innovation between various industries. Material suppliers, 3D printing equipment manufacturers, software developers, and end users will work together to drive the continuous advancement of 3D printing impeller technology. For example, material suppliers can develop high-performance materials that are more suitable for 3D printing, equipment manufacturers can continuously improve the performance and stability of equipment, software developers can provide more intelligent design software and optimization algorithms, and end users can put forward more specific needs and application scenarios to jointly promote the innovation and development of 3D printing impeller technology.
sustainable development
3D printing impeller technology also has great potential in terms of sustainability. On the one hand, 3D printing technology can achieve efficient use of materials and reduce material waste. For example, unsupported printing technology can avoid the material waste caused by the support structure in traditional printing, while reducing the amount of post-processing work. On the other hand, 3D printed impellers can be customized and manufactured according to actual needs, avoiding overproduction and inventory overstocking, and reducing environmental impact. In addition, 3D printing technology can also realize the repair and remanufacturing of waste impellers, prolong the service life of impellers, and reduce resource consumption.
To sum up, 3D printing impeller technology has a broad prospect in the future manufacturing industry. With the continuous advancement of technology, the growth of market demand, the strengthening of industry cooperation and the deepening of the concept of sustainable development, 3D printing impeller technology will bring more efficient, innovative and sustainable solutions to various industries.