The Styrian company M&H has landed a significant order for the US energy market. The 3D printing specialist will manufacture complex components for stationary gas turbines that will be used to stabilize the US power grid.
The order initially covers the production of 168 turbine blades until fall 2024 and, if successful, the collaboration will continue until 2031, with a total production of over 2,500 components. The order volume is in the double-digit million range.
M&H manufactures the turbine blades from the heat-resistant nickel-chromium alloy Inconel 718. Processing this material requires special techniques such as “pre-deforming”. This involves preforming the material in order to compensate for deformations caused by heat or mechanical forces during processing.
Patrick Herzig, Managing Director of M&H, emphasizes the importance of the order: “This collaboration strengthens our position on the international market and underlines our expertise in 3D metal printing.”
M&H was chosen due to its extensive expertise in handling complex alloys and its modern machinery. Jochen Wagner, Sales Manager at M&H, emphasizes: “With our SLM800, we have one of the largest 3D metal printers in Austria.”
The manufactured components undergo extensive quality checks based on aviation industry standards. These include material analyses, chemical tests, tensile tests and crack tests.
The order is part of the US “Inflation Reduction Act” economic stimulus program, which promotes the expansion of renewable energies. Paradoxically, this leads to an increased demand for gas turbines to stabilize the grid during dark periods.
In this project, M&H is benefiting from its experience in other sectors such as aviation and motorsport. Despite difficult market conditions, the company believes it is well positioned and expects further growth in this sector.
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