Scientists unveil massive 3D printer for crucial underwater project: 'A whole realm of possibilities'

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory's new robotic metal 3D printer is speeding up prototyping and small-run component production for marine energy-generating devices, which could unlock this underutilized resource.

The ocean's natural waves, currents, and tides are powerful, capable of providing nearly 60% of all the power generated in the U.S. if it were possible to harness all of it.  

While that potential will never be fully realized, even a small portion of it could be used to provide a reliable source of energy for coastal security and maritime industries, such as seafood farms and scientific research, according to an NREL report shared by CleanTechnica.

Paul Murdy, a mechanical engineer at NREL, believes metal — especially stainless steel — is the material of choice for maritime environments. 

"Compared to plastic, metal components can withstand five to 10 times as much force," said Murdy, per CleanTechnica.

Unfortunately, the marine energy industry has failed to produce a significant number of devices that can capture that energy. Part of the reason behind this is that it can be expensive and time-consuming to design, build, and test each new full-scale prototype, the NREL explained.

Things are changing at NREL's Flatirons Campus, though, now that it has a new laser-powered metal 3D printer courtesy of One-Off Robotics. 

The device is able to quickly etch out the metal components for marine energy machines, allowing them to be tested at a minimal cost, with less waste, and often within a matter of days.

"There's a whole realm of possibilities for very complex metal part design that, until now, has been very hard for researchers to achieve," said Casey Nichols, an NREL research engineer who works with Murdy to design, build, and test novel marine energy technologies.

The new 3D printer is much larger than the rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing tools the lab has already been using, which helps the team do more at-scale research, Nichols added.

Should we be harnessing the ocean to power our homes? Absolutely 👍 Leave it be 👎 It depends 🤔 I'm not sure 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

With eight axes, the machine has a greater degree of movement, which CleanTechnica said "allows it to print larger volumes and a wider variety of both conventional and unconventional shapes." 

The ability to customize designs is critical for an industry like marine energy, where components need to be optimized for each environment, ranging from calm to energetic seabeds.

"For example, you could design tidal turbine blades to work under certain flow conditions," Murdy added, per CleanTechnica.

Approximately 40% of the U.S. population lives near the coast, where they could benefit from the expansion of sustainable, energy-generating devices that tap into the ocean's natural power.

Diversifying our clean energy resources beyond just solar and wind could help stabilize the power grid, which is seeing huge spikes in demand, partly due to the expansion of energy-hungry data centers.

It can also help reduce the use of dirty fuels as a source of energy.

Just last year, a new grid-scale wave energy device capable of producing up to 1.25 megawatts was deployed off the coast of Hawai'i, marking a world first for a device of this type and scale. 

An onshore wave energy company, Eco Wave Power, was also given the green light by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to trial its new 100-kilowatt project near the Port of Los Angeles.

Murdy is looking to speed up research and development using NREL's new 3D printer to get more projects off the ground. He also plans to use it not only for components, but also for complete devices. 

"My project takes a holistic approach to understanding everything from design, manufacturing, and through to deployment," said Murdy, per NREL. 

"I'm exploring that whole space to understand where this technology is the most valuable and the bounds of how we can use it."

Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.