Important results from the project
WAAMLABZ manufactured a full-scale five-blade high-speed propeller in alloy 718 with WAAM and verified it in operation at 65 knots. A digital manufacturing recipe (Technical Data Package, TDP) for a high-speed propeller was documented. In doing so, the company positioned itself as a provider of digital manufacturing recipes for marine applications in the defense sector and took a clear position in the emerging market for digitally distributed manufacturing of critical spare parts.
Expected long term effects
The project is expected to lead to a scalable licensing deal based on digital manufacturing recipes for marine high-speed propellers, with revenues within 2–5 years. It strengthens Swedish and European capabilities for on-demand production of safety-critical components and contributes to technological independence in the defense sector. The project is the first known verification of WAAM in alloy 718 for this application.
Approach and implementation
The project was carried out by WAAMLABZ in collaboration with Högskolan Väst and Zulu Marine at Produktionstekniskt Centrum in Trollhättan. The work included reverse engineering, WAAM manufacturing, heat treatment and post-machining of a five-bladed propeller in alloy 718, as well as full-scale field testing. The disposal strategy was revised and the CNC post-machining required more resources than planned. Business validation was carried out via customer dialogues and international workshops.
The project description has been provided by the project members themselves and the text has not been looked at by our editors.
