GE Research has chosen voxeljet as a partner for this US Department of Energy(DoE) $14.9 million in federal funding to develop and commercialize a large sand-binder jet 3D printer, known as the Advanced Casting Cell (ACC), to accelerate the U.S. transition to clean energy.
In addition to voxeljet, GE Research also made the decision GE Hydro, GE Onshore Wind, Clemson University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Hodge Foundry as a partner in the ACC project.
The Advanced Casting Cell project was launched to strengthen the US manufacturing industry and know-how to enable cost-effective domestic production of large metallic near-net shape (NNS) components in line with the Biden strategy government to increase clean electricity generation, according to voxeljet.
“We are pleased to be part of this pioneering and innovative project,” said Dr. Ingo Ederer, CEO of voxeljet. “The development and cost-effective production of clean energy generation technologies is in high demand as they are critical to addressing global climate challenges. We are confident that additive manufacturing, and in particular our large-scale binder jetting technology, is the right choice for producing complex parts used in these next-generation wind turbines.”
The ACC is developed and used to produce sand molds for producing metallic NNS parts. With the development of the ACC, the project includes the digital creation of mold designs via a digital foundry as well as the completion of a techno-economic analysis of cost and supply chain challenges.
According to voxeljet, the project aims to produce 3D printed large-scale sand molds to cast components for the nacelle of the GE Haliade-X offshore turbine. The gondola, which houses mechanical components, can weigh more than 60 tons.
The company says the technology has the potential to reduce overall hydropower costs by 20% and lead times by four months. The project also includes production optimization of a 16 ton rotor hub using the ACC and the development of a robotic welding process for the assembly of a >10 ton Francis rotor.
voxeljet says that to ensure successful implementation of ACC, an advanced manufacturing curriculum for local workforce development will be created to train and engage workers in the specifics of 3D printing technology.
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