Siemens Energy Seeks to Accelerate AM Development in Sweden

Siemens Energy has learned additive manufacturing the hard way. When the company bought its first 3D printers, it was all new to them. No one knew much about the material, there were no definitions for powder, there were no design criteria and, of course, no standards.

“We tried to implement the technology like other technologies, but it did not work because everything was too challenging,” says Vladimir Navrotsky, Vice President Technology & Innovation, Siemens Energy, Industrial Application. “After a lot of experimenting, we chose to start again with a new team – an AM team with the right expertise.”

In 2008, the AM team consisted of three individuals; now Siemens Energy has around 200 people around the world working full-time with additive manufacturing. Many of the AM specialists are stationed in Finspång, which is where Siemens Energy’s very first 3D printing workshop was built. 

“Today we have AM designers, materials specialists, process specialists, component testing and evaluation specialists, and, of course, specialists in handling our machines and quality assurance specialists for mass production.”

In total, Siemens Energy has around 60 different metal 3D printers. These are primarily used for the company’s aftermarket, including the production of spare parts – both customised components and mass produced.   

Cooperation on unanswered questions

The benefits gained by Siemens Energy’s participation in the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing may not be immediately obvious, but Navrotsky says:

“We know that to succeed in the use of AM, you need to be part of the entire process, from equipment to the printing, finishing and quality assurance of the components.

“And it must be possible to accelerate this process. These are questions that need to be addressed, and we cannot do this ourselves, not even with 200 people. We don’t have expertise in all areas, so cooperation between multiple parties is necessary.”

It is more advantageous, in terms of investment, knowledge and time, for companies to collaborate on this type of issue.

Helping Swedish industry embrace AM

Navrotsky believes that the Application Center for Additive Manufacturing can help Swedish industry embrace additive manufacturing; by providing knowledge and information about what the technology can be used for, as well as guidance on which AM technologies are suitable for what:

“The AM Center can help companies in different industries to identify their starting point and their opportunities to apply the technology, and it can help them accelerate their utilisation of AM technology.”

Siemens Energy intends to contribute its expertise to the AM Center. Navrotsky sees that several of the companies have similar challenges that can be jointly addressed:

“We can achieve the goals faster if we work together, and it may be that 1 + 1 does not necessarily equal 2 here, but 3 or 4.”

Navrotsky also says that he is eager to explore new technologies not yet available at Siemens Energy:

“We are happy with the printers we have, but it’s just one technology: Powder Bed Fusion. We are eager to explore other technologies that can be used for other applications. This is something we could explore faster and more efficiently if we do it together.”