Renishaw and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) in Canada have additively manufactured two ocean turbine parts for an industrial design company.
Biome Renewables, a specialist in the design of wind turbines, connected with NSCC in a bid to leverage its expertise in ocean technology as it expanded into tidal wave energy. Renishaw joined the project to provide technical assistance as the partners began to explore metal additive manufacturing.
The partners managed to produce the final parts within two months and also recorded significant cost benefits.
“The ocean turbine project was not only a great opportunity for us to work with one of our many Canadian customers, it was a chance for us to see how metal additive manufacturing can improve the efficiency of renewable sources,” commented Mark Kirby, Additive Manufacturing Business Manager at Renishaw Canada. “Tidal turbine energy is one of many growing renewable energy markets and it was really exciting to be involved in a project like this.
"While people often think of metal additive manufacturing as an expensive venture, the technology allowed Biome to reduce the cost of building the turbine by 80%. We look forward to working on more projects like this and seeing how other companies benefit from metal AM.”
