Siemens integrates 3D printed part in Slovenia nuclear power plant

Siemens has integrated a 3D printed part into a nuclear power plant, an achievement that represents a major advance in the nuclear industry.
The spare part manufactured for the Krško Nuclear Power Plant in Slovenia is a 108 mm diameter metal turbine for a fire protection pump running in constant rotation.

The water pump provides the necessary pressure to the fire protection system within the plant. The original turbine was in operation since the plant was assembled in 1981 and its original manufacturer has since ceased operations.

Obsolete non-original parts are particularly adapted to this new technology since their design models are practically impossible to obtain. This technology allows older power plants to continue operating and even, in the case of Krško, to extend their life expectancy.

The Siemens teams based in Slovenia have thus rebuilt and created a digital twin of the piece. The Siemens site in Finspång, Sweden, then applied its advanced additive manufacturing process using a 3D printer to manufacture the part.

Full testing with Krško’s operations team was therefore necessary for several months to ensure that the new 3D printed part would be reliable and would operate safely.

Additional material testing in an independent institute, as well as a scanner, showed that the material properties of the 3D-printed part were greater than that of the original part.