Society’s demand for both energy and mobility is growing. To cover this, turbomachines are playing an increasingly important role – they generate energy by burning fossil fuels. For example, in power plants, gas and steam turbines drive generators, thus producing electrical energy. In airplanes, turbines deliver the necessary thrust. Various studies forecast that the installed capacity for the generation of electrical energy will constantly increase by 2.5 to 3.5 percent annually up to 2030. In view of the changes in the world climate, current discussions are emphasizing the need for optimal and efficient processes for power generation.

In view of sustainability as well as of the growing pricing pressure upon OEMs, decisive elements to address these topics in the production chain include the integrative and cost efficient development, manufacture and repair of rotating components for gas and steam turbines as well as for compressors.

Therefore, experts from the industry and science will intensively discuss new product concepts and appropriate manufacturing technologies at the 1st International Conference on Turbomachinery Manufacturing (ICTM) on February 23 and 24, 2011 in Aachen. This conference aims to illuminate new perspectives for interesting markets and possible solutions for technological challenges. Specialists will lecture on innovative solutions in the mechanical and laser-based manufacture or repair, and will display new measurement-based applications. Furthermore, aspects of IT integration, the so-called CAx technologies, will be examined. A special highlight – the integration of these technologies in a closed repair process chain for turbine components – will be demonstrated. During a guided tour through both Fraunhofer Institutes ILT and IPT, the conference participants will have the opportunity to gather information on current R&D projects dealing with these topics and to talk with the project leaders about the results thus reached in the surroundings of modern plants.

In order to spur on the development of manufacturing and repair technologies for turbomachines, oriented both to the industry and applications, the Fraunhofer Institutes for Laser Technology ILT and for Production Technology IPT together initiated the Fraunhofer Innovation Cluster “Integrative Production Technology for Energy Efficient Turbomachines – TurPro” in 2008, which is endowed with €10.25 million. In an interdisciplinary consortium consisting of numerous industrial partners such as e.g. Rolls-Royce Deutschland, MAN Diesel & Turbo, MTU Aero Engines and Siemens Power Generation, the partners work on R&D projects that touch upon the different, technological core areas. Results of this work also flow into the ICTM Conference as does knowledge from relevant EU-funded joint research projects on high power machining, laser metal deposition and on rapid manufacturing, which are also coordinated by the Fraunhofer Institutes in Aachen.