Abstract: With the continuous advancement and development of science and technology, 3D technology is widely used in the rapid manufacturing of gas turbine blades. This article mainly aims to fully conduct full research on the current research status of mainstream metal 3D printing technology at home and abroad in the rapid manufacturing of gas turbine blades. The analysis explores the differences between metal 3D technology and traditional manufacturing processes, explains its advantages, and introduces the research progress of 3D printing technology in gas turbine blades. The results show that 3D printing technology can quickly manufacture gas turbine blades The field has broad application prospects.
Keywords: gas turbine blades, 3D printing technology, rapid manufacturing and repair, investment casting
The rapid manufacturing of gas turbine blades is a national high-tech manufacturing industry. The requirements for materials in the rapid manufacturing of gas turbine blades are relatively high, and the requirements for geometric accuracy are also very high. Compared with traditional manufacturing processes, tool materials It has obvious advantages in terms of selection, blade processing quality, blade manufacturing cost, and production cycle, and the stability of product processing quality is also well guaranteed. As a newly emerging technology, 3D printing technology has strong flexibility and has had a great impact on the traditional manufacturing industry. It has also been paid more and more attention to and applied by people. Its biggest product advantage is that it can quickly produce small batches of products. It has broad development prospects for the manufacturing of some complex and difficult-to-process materials. It does not have too many production processes and is a manufacturing process that can be widely studied and in-depth. A high-tech development.
1. Application of 3D printing technology in the field of gas turbine blade manufacturing
1.1 Directly print the gas turbine blade model.
Compared with traditional manufacturing processes, 3D printing technology is a material-saving manufacturing method. It can greatly save production costs and shorten the production cycle of products. The printing of gas engine blade models can be carried out directly and can be done during manufacturing. During the process, the blade model information is adjusted in a timely manner, and different blade performance requirements can be adjusted promptly, reducing unnecessary waste of time and materials.
1.2 Repair the blades.
Gas turbine blades will experience equipment aging and fatigue damage after long-term operation. However, the production cycle of general blades is long and the production cost is also high. Once the blades need to be updated, it will affect the production of the entire power plant, but 3D Printing technology has strong repair capabilities, thereby reducing production costs, extending the life cycle of blades, and improving the production efficiency of power plants.
2. Metal 3D printing technology to manufacture gas turbine blades
The manufacturing process of gas blade metal materials has many advantages compared with traditional manufacturing processes. Metal 3D printing technology is the fastest-growing part of 3D printing technology. The sales of its printing equipment are continuing to grow. It has high efficiency, and low consumption, The advantage of low cost is that it has the following advantages compared with traditional manufacturing processes.
2.1 Forming blade products with complex geometric shapes.
It is difficult to ensure product accuracy with traditional blade processing methods. For complex blade models, only the deformation caused by the influence of cutting thermal stress is considered. However, the manufacturing process of roulette blades is more complicated. The blades and wheels The accuracy of disk assembly is difficult to guarantee. Metal 3D printing blades are not restricted by traditional processing methods. It can process various parts with complex shapes and is difficult to manufacture. It also has certain particularities in terms of usage characteristics and performance. Through this manufacturing method, the size of the parts can be almost close to the size of the finished product, making it more precise and accurate, which is impossible to achieve with traditional processing methods.
2.2 Save manufacturing costs.
Metal 3D printing technology can eliminate the need for mold design and manufacturing for metal parts with complex structures, saving manufacturing costs, greatly shortening the development and manufacturing cycle of new products, significantly improving production efficiency, and for The utilization rate and recycling rate of raw materials are also high, which meets our requirements for sustainable development, is low-carbon, efficient and environmentally friendly.
3. Laser cladding technology is used to repair gas turbine blades.
The degree of damage to the blades of a gas turbine during operation accounts for a large proportion compared with other blades. If damaged blades are directly replaced, the cost of operation and maintenance of the gas turbine will be greatly increased, and production will stagnate, directly affecting production efficiency and production cycle. As a branch, laser cladding technology also has great advantages. It can perform directional and concentrated repair of lost material at any position of any component. It will have less impact on the blade to be repaired, ensuring the integrity and accuracy of the dimensions, and can effectively repair the mechanical properties of blades under harsh working conditions can extend the service life of the blades.
4. Investment casting of gas turbine blades based on 3D printing.
In recent years, 3D printing technology has developed rapidly and is widely used in various manufacturing fields. As a rapid prototyping technology, 3D printing technology has strong compatibility with casting. 3D printing technology can be combined with investment casting technology.
4.1. 3D printing blade investment model.
Casting 3D-printed blades into models can greatly shorten the product design and development cycle. The specific process flow is design casting process – product three-dimensional modeling design – bonding wax pouring system – making mold shell – removing Model material – Pouring molten metal – Casting surface cleaning – Casting product quality inspection – Casting product is finished and delivered to the user after passing the inspection.
4.2 Light-cured three-dimensional molding blade investment model
The light-cured three-dimensional molding blade investment model is a model with a supporting material and has the function of layer-by-layer curing. After the first layer is cured, it is moved to the workbench. The newly cured material model is well adhered to the previous model. Combined, this repeated solidification molding technology prints blade models with hollow structures and mesh structures to meet the requirements of the investment casting process.
5. Advantages of 3D printing technology in gas turbine blade manufacturing
The most critical component of a gas turbine is the gas blade, which not only improves the performance of the gas turbine, but also improves its safety and efficiency, and has many advantages.
5.1. The use of 3D printing technology not only eliminates the need for complex processes such as blade casting and processing but also has many advantages over traditional manufacturing methods. It can greatly save manufacturing costs and shorten the manufacturing production cycle.
5.2. Metal 3D printing technology to shape gas turbine blades facilitates full control of the product production process and reduces many uncertain factors in the production process. Since most of the printing is done by machine, it also reduces human factors affecting the product. The quality is more accurate than traditional printing technology.
5.3. The use of 3D printing technology in investment casting can effectively reduce unnecessary mold manufacturing time, shorten the product development cycle, and have higher requirements for dimensional accuracy. As the current market demand continues to expand, Therefore, there are strong requirements for the accuracy, service life, cost, and efficiency of gas turbine blades. These high standards and strict requirements will inevitably have a profound impact on the field of rapid manufacturing of advanced gas turbine blades.
6. Conclusion
Nowadays, 3D printing is still relatively unfamiliar to ordinary people, but for the industry, there will be a huge growth in the civilian field market. 3D printing has entered the family and is also more widely used in the manufacturing industry, especially in the manufacturing industry. It is a manufacturing process for gas turbine blades. It has strong advantages and can meet the need to shorten the development cycle of gas turbine blades.
