Contoured steam turbine blades require a very precise shape, with contoured curves that narrow toward the tip. Wire arc 3D printing had not previously been used to make a rotating component of this scale.

Chris Masuo, left, and Luke Meyer monitor the heat signatures of a steam turbine blade that was additively manufactured in a wire arc 3D printer at DOE’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility.

Contoured steam turbine blades require a very precise shape, with contoured curves that narrow toward the tip. Wire arc 3D printing had not previously been used to make a rotating component of this scale.