Siemens said last week it was the first to test such blades under full-load engine conditions at 13,000 revolutions per minutes and temperatures above 1,250 Celsius (2,282 Fahrenheit). It called the test a "breakthrough".

3D printing, also called additive manufacturing, involves making a three-dimensional object by adding ultra-thin layers of material one by one, following a digital design, in contrast to conventional manufacturing, where excess material is cut away.

"This is a breakthrough success for the use of additive manufacturing in the power generation field, which is one of the most challenging applications for this technology," Willi Meixner, head of Siemens' Power and Gas division, said.

Siemens' U.S. rival General Electric bought two 3D printing firms last year for over $1bn and introduced its first 3D-printed aircraft engine component into service last July.

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