The United States uses 3D printing technology to develop miniature wind turbine devices

Recently, Robert Yost, an American aerospace engineer and founder of "American Wind", used 3D printing technology to develop a miniature wind turbine device
that can generate electricity at wind speeds of 1-80 mph.

With a volume of approximately 23 x 23 x 23 cm3 and a weight of only 1.
4 kg, this miniature wind turbine unit is very small
.
It is capable of generating three-phase alternating current, which can be converted into direct current for storage or directly connected to the grid
.
When one turbine is mounted to the rear of another to get the latter's output in what Yost calls a "wind wall," higher power
can be produced.

A single turbine can produce only a fraction of the energy of a standard solar panel, but if several turbines are stacked in the space required for an entire solar panel, the energy can be produced up to 18 times
that of a standard panel.
Although some engineers have done the same thing before, only Yost's work stands out so far, as he uses a unique multi-wing design that better captures the flow of air, resulting in greater efficiency
.

It is understood that in the turbine manufacturing process, the cloud-based 3D printing manufacturing service Quickparts provided by 3D printing giant 3D Systems has played a big role, because its rapid prototyping and exploration of different materials have allowed Yost to complete up to 20 iterations in a very short period of time, so as to continuously make improvements until the final product is formed
.
In fact, Yost can use traditional injection molded parts, but compared to 3D printing, the cost and time required for this method are staggeringly
high.