Seobu Power Successfully Completes Performance Test of 3D Printed Parts

Taean Headquarters On-site Settlement Photo (Photo by Korea Western Power)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Korea Western Power announced on the 18th that it successfully completed performance tests at the Taean and Pyeongtaek Power Headquarters with domestically produced power generation parts made using 3D printing technology.

The power generation parts that completed the demonstration are 10 types primarily installed out of 15 types of parts produced by 3D printing last year, considering the conditions of the power plants.

Installed on-site and undergoing a three-month demonstration period, it was confirmed that they could operate continuously without performance degradation such as vibration or leakage.

Since 2018, Western Power has been conducting an annual demonstration project for 3D printed power generation parts.

They mainly produce foreign-made parts that were difficult to localize with conventional methods and discontinued power generation parts using 3D printing technology, followed by reliability evaluation and performance verification on-site.

According to Western Power, in this demonstration project, they analyzed the physical properties of the parts and evaluated the operating environment to select the optimal 3D printing materials, securing reliability.

To improve the cost-effectiveness of expensive 3D printing, they applied various attempts to expand the field application of innovative technology and localization, such as reducing costs by producing multiple identical parts.

A Western Power official said, "With the first demonstration completed, power generation parts can now be procured domestically through 3D printing, reducing procurement time and enabling stable supply. We will conduct a second demonstration test this year according to the scheduled planned preventive maintenance of each power plant, and plan to produce new-concept power generation parts that replace foreign equipment for the first time in Korea by utilizing 3D printing heterogeneous material layering technology."

Kim Byung-sook, CEO of Western Power, said, "3D printing technology is now moving out of laboratories and steadily entering industrial sites. We hope to lead the introduction of technology and demonstration tests to achieve localization and contribute to fostering the ecosystem of Korean companies."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.