Why Qualification Is Becoming the Next Frontier for AM in Energy

• The energy industry doesn’t have much room for failure. Components used in power generation often operate under extreme temperatures and pressures, sometimes for decades at a time. That’s one reason...

The energy industry doesn’t have much room for failure. Components used in power generation often operate under extreme temperatures and pressures, sometimes for decades at a time. That’s one reason why qualification has become one of the most important challenges for the additive manufacturing (AM) industry today. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), working closely with America Makes and industry partners, has spent years working on that problem, helping bridge the gap between AM innovation and real-world deployment. The organization recently earned Best Paper honors from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Manufacturing, Materials, and Metallurgy Committee for its paper, “Learnings in the Qualification of ABD®900AM for Turbine, Aerospace, and Energy Application