Siemens Energy partners with Seurat to manufacture 59 tons of AM parts
May 2, 2023
Seurat Technologies, Wilmington, Massachusetts, USA, has announced an agreement to develop 59 tons of additively manufactured metal components for Siemens Energy turbines. Development will ramp up over a six-year-period for parts meeting the material qualification requirements of Siemens Energy. The initial focus will be on one part family, with the possibility of increasing volumes to include others in the future.
Manufacturing is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for 31% of emissions. With the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change continuing to sound the alarm on global warming in its recent report, the manufacturing industry has a significant responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint. The Biden Administration is also calling for the reduction of industrial emissions, recently unveiling a $6 billion effort to decarbonise industrial manufacturing and accelerate new technologies critical to a winning climate strategy.
Seurat believes that its Area Printing technology, based on the Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion (PBF-LB) process will allow Additive Manufacturing to be competitive to conventional manufacturing in every way (cost, scale, and quality) whilst leveraging 100% renewable green energy. Siemens Energy already uses Additive Manufacturing to produce a number of components in instances where it provides a more sustainable process and improved economics.
“Siemens Energy is always looking for innovative technologies that can transform the future while creating a more sustainable world,” stated Enrique Gonzales Zanetich, Head of Venture Building, Siemens Energy. “We’re excited about our future printing high-quality parts with fantastic economies of scale to deliver cost savings. We invested in Seurat Technologies and believe that strengthening our partnership could help to accelerate decarbonisation in the industry at scale.”
Siemens Energy has also invested cash in Seurat Technologies through its venture arm, Siemens Energy Ventures. Described as “Operating at the intersection of the corporate and startup ecosystems,” Siemens Energy Ventures builds, pilots and invests in startups that are developing innovative energy and decarbonisation technologies and business models.
“Seurat’s partnership with Siemens Energy is a major milestone for 3D metal printing and our potential to deliver limitless scalability and cost savings,” stated James DeMuth, CEO and co-founder, Seurat. “We are proud to be trusted by global leaders who are reimagining manufacturing. Volumes of this order of magnitude significantly move the needle towards greener technologies and unlocking Additive Manufacturing’s full potential.”
Seurat’s Area Printing is reputedly able to competitively displace some types of traditional manufacturing and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to waste material, freight, transportation, and warehousing. Seurat stated that it anticipates mitigating as much as 100 metric tons of CO2 by 2030 and has validated its carbon footprint forecast according to ISO 14064 standards.
Commenting on the use of Additive Manufacturing in the energy sector, Dr Maximilian Munsch, managing partner of strategy consultancy AMPOWER, stated, “The metal Additive Manufacturing market increased by more than 20% in 2022 year-over-year and is valued today at about $3.2 billion. The users and suppliers in this market expect success to continue, anticipating similar growth in the coming five years. An important driver is the energy sector. For several years now, the energy industry has efficiently utilised metal 3D printing for the production of turbine components, reaching a high level of maturity. Metal 3D printing has become a crucial enabler technology for innovation to significantly reduce the CO2 footprint throughout the turbine’s lifetime. We expect the demand for such components to grow by 26% annually.”
Christine Nolan, director of the Center for Advanced Manufacturing at MassTech, an economic development agency for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, added, “Seurat is a part of an emerging wave of Massachusetts additive manufacturers that are utilising revolutionary processes, materials, and a world-class workforce to dramatically impact global industries, as shown by this new partnership. Companies like Seurat are what makes Massachusetts the top innovation economy and a global leader in advanced manufacturing.”
Last autumn, Seurat announced that its pilot factory is fully subscribed and is planning on opening a full-scale production factory to accommodate customer demand. Seurat has raised $91.5 million from investors such as Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, True Ventures, and Porsche Automobil Holding SE, and has more than 209 patents granted and pending.
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