Extreme complexity is inherent to jet engines of all sizes, from those on a Boeing 777x to ones that power the smallest drone. While drones obviously need less turbo power than a jet, the microturbines that drive them remain a serious design and manufacturing challenge for engineers who have to cram Contact online >>
Extreme complexity is inherent to jet engines of all sizes, from those on a Boeing 777x to ones that power the smallest drone. While drones obviously need less turbo power than a jet, the microturbines that drive them remain a serious design and manufacturing challenge for engineers who have to cram all that complexity into a much smaller package.
Drone microturbines, until very recently, have traditionally involved significant hand fabrication and many different piece-parts. Not only does this increase manufacturing and assembly costs, it leaves the engine more susceptible to performance variation.
Workarounds to fix such issues can result in design compromises, weight gain, and excess fuel burn. No wonder, then, that drone prices have remained high: a single agricultural- or military-size aircraft can cost between hundreds of thousands to many millions of dollars.
This state of affairs has created a window of opportunity for advanced metal-AM equipment manufacturers, who are experiencing an uptick in inquiries about the cost-effectiveness of printing an entire small turbine in the build chamber of a 3D printer.
Drone makers are taking their cue from commercial-aircraft engine manufacturers who have increasingly been using AM for part consolidation and lightweighting (witness advancements in 3D-printed engine components over recent years).
Despite the claims that additive manufacturing can print anything, many current AM machines are nevertheless still not up to the task of creating fine details deep inside sophisticated microturbines.
Such was the experience for KW Micro Power, whose design for a microturbine included a diffuser comprised of a titanium disc 10-inches in diameter and 4-inches tall with an interior labyrinth of low-angle exhaust-gas channels.
Why? Because most metal additive manufacturing technologies can’t make features that are less than 45-degrees from level—without scaffold-like supports that keep a workpiece from drooping and warping during the build process.
A smooth surface finish also contributed to that improved performance by optimizing the air-flow without post-processing: the lower the surface roughness, the less air friction will eat away at engine efficiency. Fine-feature resolution allows for intricate cooling passages and fuel-delivery channels.
The latest system’s print-setup software, continuous build management and quality-assurance monitoring contribute to the highs levels of part consistency demanded for turbines of all sizes.
Microturbines are miniature rotating machines that convert fluid energy into mechanical energy, implemented using microelectromechanical systems technologies or other small-scale manufacturing approaches. They are characterized by the use of fluid flow to set a mechanical component (rotor) into rotation, to drive a compressor, pump, generator, or other rotating components. Microturbine-based systems include micro gas turbine engines for propulsion and micro steam turbines for power generation.
Rotating machinery is commonly used at large scale to meet our society''s daily needs for electrical power generation, propulsion, cooling, and pumping, to name a few. The implementation of systems that include turbines, generators, and pumps at very small scale, say a few millimeters or less, is however challenging from engineering and manufacturing perspectives. Silicon...
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