As our facilities age, some equipment has become obsolete, difficult to find and no longer manufactured by the OEM (original equipment manufacturer).
TVA has faced these same challenges but thanks to the employees at the Power Service Shops (PSS), we are becoming less reliant on outside vendors than ever before. All employees are encouraged to take advantage of TVA’s new capabilities in 3D printing of metal.
New 3D printing technology has allowed us to reduce the risk of supply chain issues through additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing creates parts by depositing material, building the piece one layer at a time. This is opposite of traditional manufacturing’s approach of cutting away material from a solid block to achieve the desired shape.
“Additive manufacturing is a game-changing technology that will help us increase supply chain resilience by removing risk from the procurement process and providing more control over what we need and when we need it,” said Scott Schannuth, Manager, Supply Chain Equipment Reliability. “It’s a great opportunity to make the TVA fleet more nimble, reliable and affordable by creating our own metal parts domestically.”
PSS recently installed a 3D metal printer inside an existing mill to enable hybrid manufacturing for parts up to about a two-foot cube. And they’re already creating and refurbishing parts with good success, such as poppet valves.
These valves regulate the flow of fuel or air into turbines, like the valves in a piston engine. With more than 270 turbines across the TVA fleet, there are a lot of poppet valves, and we now have the opportunity to produce that part in-house when we need it.
Poppet valves are just one example out of potentially thousands. PSS has had success hard-facing other valves, seats and stems, and they’re looking to 3D print even more components.
“We’re making progress qualifying procedures for stainless steels such as 410, 422 and 317,” said Tim Hunt, Manager, Technical Support. “New code cases are allowing us to certify parts for critical applications and use in nuclear settings. And we have an RFP on the street to source another 3D printer, capable of printing volumes up to a cube with six-foot sides.”
Do you have a part that can be 3D printed?
If you have parts that are high cost, obsolete, difficult to keep in stock, come from questionable vendors or are generally just a challenge to get your hands on, 3D printing them in-house could be a solution. Typical examples include pump and valve components, fixtures, brackets and other difficult to manufacture metallic items.
If something comes to mind, take a couple minutes to enter a few pieces of information into the Part assistance form. If additive manufacturing is the right fit, Scott and his team will work with you and the PSS to design and produce your parts. Better yet, submitters of the first 50 applicable parts will receive a shop light and waterproof/dustproof phone holder.
What’s next for TVA’s additive strategy?
A small team is working diligently to scale up TVA’s additive strategy and needs input from across the enterprise, including help identifying and prioritizing use cases, evaluating technology and reviewing qualification requirements.