A Comparative Study of Direct and Indirect Additive Manufacturing Approaches for the Production of a Wind Energy Component

Using Large-Scale Additive Manufacturing for Wind Turbine Blade Core Structures

“…The average deposition rate for 3D printing ABSCCF20 on the BAAM printer using a large 7.62-mm nozzle is estimated to be 22.68 kg/hour (hr) (Post et al 2021;Roschli et al 2019).…”

“…The large-scale 3D printer costs of $150.00/hr assumes a machine cost of roughly $1.5 million amortized over 7 years at 7% with 150 hours of use per month (Post et al 2021). BAAM operator labor costs are estimated at a fully burdened rate of $35/hr (Post et al 2021).…”

“…Preprocessing and postprocessing times on the BAAM printer are assumed to be 15 minutes each due to assumed serial production efficiencies. BAAM-related consumable costs, such as the build plate, are assumed to be $100 per 3D-printed core Post et al 2021). Large-scale CNC router costs required to machine the 3D printed core to tolerance is estimated at $50/hr and is based on an amortized machine cost of $500,000 (Post et al 2021).…”

“…BAAM-related consumable costs, such as the build plate, are assumed to be $100 per 3D-printed core Post et al 2021). Large-scale CNC router costs required to machine the 3D printed core to tolerance is estimated at $50/hr and is based on an amortized machine cost of $500,000 (Post et al 2021). Large-scale CNC router operator labor costs are estimated at a fully burdened rate of $35/hr (Post et al 2021).…”

“…Large-scale CNC router costs required to machine the 3D printed core to tolerance is estimated at $50/hr and is based on an amortized machine cost of $500,000 (Post et al 2021). Large-scale CNC router operator labor costs are estimated at a fully burdened rate of $35/hr (Post et al 2021). Largescale CNC router material removal rates are assumed to be .032 m 2 /min roughly based on a 25.4mm diameter end mill and a feed rate of 25.4 mm/second.…”