Cost Modeling of Innovative Metal 3D Printed Solar Absorber Tubes for High-Efficiency Parabolic Trough Collector

Additive manufacturing (AM) enables the production of complex Parabolic Trough Collector (PTC) receiver geometries that are unachievable with conventional methods, improving thermal efficiency and reducing absorber tube temperature gradients. However, the higher production cost remains a major limitation. This work presents the development of a cost model to estimate the total cost of a metal 3D-printed solar absorber tube for a PTC. The proposed model is geometry-aware, explicitly integrating geometric complexity into cost estimation. Geometric complexity is defined as a function of design decision variables, directly linking design choices to build time and cost. The model incorporates all relevant cost drivers often overlooked in conventional approaches. Validation against literature data demonstrates that the model achieves high structural accuracy and practical applicability for estimating direct manufacturing costs in geometry-driven AM processes. The cost analysis focuses on two novel PTC absorber tube geometries, featuring internal turbulators and fins, previously developed by the authors. Two AM systems were considered: the AMCM M 4K (Selective Laser Melting, SLM) and the Meltio robotic system (Directed Energy Deposition, DED). For both AM techniques, Configuration 2 is approximately 9% more expensive than Configuration 1. Additionally, for both geometries, cost estimation using the AMCM M 4K system is roughly 55% higher than using the DED system. For SLM, material, machine, and overhead costs account for more than 95% of the total cost, while for DED, machine, material, labor, and overhead collectively represent nearly 99% of the total cost. This study demonstrates the importance of incorporating geometric complexity into cost models for AM, providing a reliable tool for the economic assessment of advanced PTC receiver designs.