🌬️ Report Exploring Additive Manufacturing for Small-Scale Wind Turbines

We’re excited to share a recent project by Pontus Dadell who is process engineer at Printit Sweden AB.

The project, titled “Design and Evaluation of Additively Manufactured Omnidirectional Wind Turbines”, aimed to develop a small-scale wind turbine using 3D printing technologies and a custom-built DC electrical system.

🔍 Key Highlights:

• Three turbine designs were modeled and tested: H-rotor, Twisted Savonius, and 2-stage Savonius.
• Materials evaluated included PLA, PETG, and ABS, with simulations confirming their mechanical suitability.
• A custom gear system and electronics setup using Arduino and INA219 enabled voltage and current logging.
• Wind tunnel tests showed that Twisted and H-rotor turbines performed best, with PETG recommended for shaded environments and PLA for UV-exposed applications.

⚙️ The project also tackled real-world engineering challenges such as gear friction, motor short-circuiting, and material wear—leading to several design iterations and practical insights for future development.

📎 The work contributes to Printit Sweden AB’s ongoing efforts to explore sustainable, locally manufactured energy solutions using additive manufacturing.