Published on: 2026-07-09
Source: Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University –
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We continue to talk about the participants of the “Priority 2030” program. Next up is the team of the project “Scientific and technological foundations for creating high-tech production, repair, and manufacturing of parts for power engineering for civil and special purposes.” The leader is Pavel Novikov, director of the Research and Education Center “Mechanical Engineering Technologies and Materials.”
The project is dedicated to creating high-tech small-scale production for civil and special purposes in the field of energy. Its scientific journey began more than 10 years ago under the leadership of the chief designer of KNTN-2 “Materials, technologies, production.” Initially, they engaged in exploratory R&D, printed some prototypes, and obtained samples of future parts. This is how scientists and engineers gained technological experience. Later, they became participants in a number of government-supported programs.
We gradually moved on to manufacturing parts used in various fields. Mainly, these were titanium products for aviation. The team began actively working with the “Nevsky Plant,” and they started implementing polytechnic technologies in their work.
Then R&D appeared with PJSC Gazprom for a number of parts that were later launched into serial production. Over two years of work, all design documentation for the nozzles and nozzle apparatuses was produced. At the same time, serial deliveries of some products to the plant began. Now the team is moving on to the most complex parts — the turbine blades of gas turbine engines.
Participation in the “Priority 2030” program helped create the material and technical base both in the field of standard 3D printing and in the development of a high-temperature printer. Today, turbine blades with a directed structure for high-pressure turbines are being tested on it.
It was a high-risk project because no one in Russia had previously made such equipment, and our goal was not just to create the installation but to produce products with specific properties on it. The risks were not only that something might fail in the equipment itself, but that the technology might not be realized. Thanks to “Priority 2030,” we solved all the most “dangerous” tasks. This year is especially important for us as we are already moving directly to the implementation and production of working blades for gas turbine engines,” noted Pavel Novikov.
The project team is very interdisciplinary. It includes designers and technologists in the field of additive technologies, which is a very broad area: there is direct laser deposition, electric arc, and so on. According to the leader, this is not just a team but an entire scientific school founded by Anatoly Popovich.
We didn’t just find each other, we grew together in the same team and had already started delivering results. We are not looking for employees, we have a systematic approach to staff training, — emphasized Pavel Novikov.
99% of the team are polytechnic graduates: alumni, candidates, and doctors of science who have gone through the entire path at the Polytechnic.
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