(MIT: Cambridge, Massachusetts) -- A new MIT-developed heat treatment transforms the microscopic structure of 3D-printed metals, making the materials stronger and more resilient in extreme thermal environments. The technique could make it possible to 3D-print high-performance blades and vanes for power-generating gas turbines and jet engines, which would enable new designs with improved fuel consumption and energy efficiency.

Today’s gas turbine blades are manufactured through conventional casting processes in which molten metal is poured into complex molds and directionally solidified. These components are made from some of the most heat-resistant metal alloys on Earth.  Designed to rotate at high speeds in extremely hot gas, they extract work to generate electricity in power plants and thrust in jet engines.

There is growing interest in manufacturing turbine blades through 3D printing, which, in addition to its environmental and cost benefits, could allow manufacturers to quickly produce more-intricate, energy-efficient blade geometries. But efforts to 3D-print turbine blades have yet to clear a big hurdle: creep.

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