The Advanced Manufacturing Office showcased a section of the 3D printed wind turbine blade mold at the National Maker Faire held at the University of the District of Columbia this past weekend. Kicking off the “Week of Making” (June 17-23), over 15,000 people attended this 2-day event discovering the latest gadgets and technologies, such as 3D printers, laser cutters, robots and more.

With a plethora of displays, interactive workshops, and DIY activities, the National Maker Faire was the perfect forum to talk about the 3D printed wind turbine blade mold project with passionate innovation seekers, tinkerers, and future generations of makers interested in 3D printing and advanced manufacturing.

“Technology is rapidly changing the way goods are made and used in the U.S.  With each new innovation - from tiny microcontrollers to house-sized 3D printers -  the line between traditional manufacturers and DIY tinkerers continues to blur,” said Blake Marshall, physical scientist at the Department of Energy, Advanced Manufacturing Office. “The Maker community represents not only the next generation of manufacturing engineers but, increasingly, the technological fabric of the manufacturing community itself.  DOE had a great time engaging with the ever-inquisitive minds on some of the cutting-edge work we are pursuing to advance in clean energy economy.”

The 3D printed wind turbine blade mold is able to cut manufacturing time of a traditional blade from 10 months to just 1 month and eliminates the need for a “plug,” or foam material machined to the shape of the final wind blade. The team behind the project included DOE’s Wind and Water Power Technologies Office (WWPTO) and Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia National laboratory, and TPI Composites. The team is producing 13 meter blades to be used at Sandia’s Scaled Wind Flight Test (SWiFT) facility in Lubbock, Texas, for cutting edge wind energy research. The mold for making the blades is being printed using the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility (MDF) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Maker Faire has expanded both domestically and internationally with Faires being organized in the United States, as well as independently-produced Mini and Featured Maker Faires around the world.

To learn more about the 3D printed wind turbine blade mold project, read our in-depth story here.

To get more information about the Maker Faire, visit their website here.