On May 16, 2023, the first domestic 150-megawatt-class large-scale Pelton turbine runner was successfully rolled off the production line in Deyang, Sichuan, marking a major breakthrough in the core components of my country's Pelton turbine. The runner that rolled off the production line this time weighs about 20 tons and has a maximum diameter of about 4 meters. It will be used in the Tianwanhe Jinwo Hydropower Station in Ya'an City, Sichuan Province, and is expected to be put into operation in early June.

It is understood that the impact turbine uses a special water guide mechanism to rush the water from the pressure pipe to the runner, causing it to rotate and drive the generator rotor to generate electricity. It is mostly used in hydropower stations with high water head and small flow. In the manufacturing process of the equipment, in order to meet the design requirements, engineers innovatively applied robotic arc additive manufacturing, that is, 3D printing technology. Three robots worked together for more than 40 days to complete 2.7 tons of metal additives. At the same time, digital technology is fully integrated into the manufacturing process to realize remote control and multi-robot unattended operations.Editor/Ma Xue