Electricity + Control March 2017

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Breakthrough with 3D printed gas turbine blades
Siemens has achieved a breakthrough by finishing its first full load
engine tests for gas turbine blades completely produced using Ad-
ditive Manufacturing (AM) technology. The company successfully
validated multiple AM printed turbine blades with a conventional
blade design at full engine conditions.This means the components
were tested at 13 000 revolutions per
minute and temperatures beyond
1 250°C. Furthermore, Siemens tested
a new blade design with a completely
revised and improved internal cool-
ing geometry manufactured using
the AM technology.The project team
used blades manufactured at its 3D
printing facility at Materials Solu-
tions, the newly acquired company
inWorcester, UK. Materials Solutions
specialises in high performance parts
for high temperature applications in
turbomachinery where accuracy, sur-
face finish and the materials quality is
critical to ensure operational performance of the parts in service.The
tests were conducted at the Siemens testing facility in the industrial
gas turbine factory in Lincoln, UK.
Siemens finished its first full load engine tests for conventional
and completely new designed gas turbine blades produced using
AM technology.
"This is a breakthrough success for the use of AM in the power
generation field, which is one of the most challenging applications
for this technology," saidWilli Meixner, CEO of the Siemens Power
and Gas Division. "AM is one of our main pillars in our digitalization
strategy.The successful tests were the result of a dedicated interna-
tional project team with contributions from Siemens engineers in
Finspång, Lincoln and Berlin together with experts from Materials
Solutions. In just 18 months they completed the entire chain from
component design and AM material development to new methods
for lifing simulations and quality controls. With our combined
know-how in 3D printing, we will continue to drive the technological
development and application in this field," added Meixner.
Enquiries: Email alfons.benzinger​@siemens.com or
High powered searchlights
based on LEDs
Francis of the United Kingdom has released high
powered searchlights based on LEDs. The new
Francis LED searchlight range has been developed
to offer an efficient and environmentally friendly
alternative to traditional lamp sources. Their ad-
vantages included their low power consumption
and long lamp life of 20 000 hours. Utilising a
series of precision made glass lenses to optimise
and collimate the light output, which achieves a
greater range and output. The new searchlights
are constructed frommarine grade aluminiumand
stainless steel, resulting in a robust high quality
product. Beam angles of 4° Spot, 6° Mid Beam
or 10° Flood are available. Available from Denver
Technical Products, the 234 W LED provides il-
lumination characteristics in excess of a 300 W
Xenon lamp or 3 kWHalogen, resulting in a range
of 1 Lux at 1 647 m.
Enquiries:Tel. +27 (0) 11 626 2023 or email
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