Daily Tech Snippet: Tuesday, February 7

• Siemens completes key test of 3D-printed gas-turbine blades: German engineering group Siemens has run a successful test of power generation gas turbine blades produced wholly by metal-based 3D printing by UK-based Materials Solutions, which it bought last year. Siemens said on Monday 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. Siemens' U.S. rival General Electric bought two 3D printing firms last year for over $1 billion and introduced its first 3D-printed aircraft engine component into service last July. The blades in the Siemens test were made from a powder of high-performing polycrystalline nickel superalloy. The 3D technology made possible a new design with improved internal cooling geometry.

• Hasbro Surges Most in 16 Years After Bet on Board Games Pays Off:Hasbro Inc.’s decision to stick by Monopoly and other traditional games -- a daring move in an increasingly digital world -- is paying off after a robust holiday season boosted the shares the most in 16 years. The toymaker bucked lackluster results at Toys “R” Us Inc. and Mattel Inc., thanks in large part to games like “Pie Face” and “Magic: The Gathering.” The unit increased sales 11 percent to $518.7 million in the fourth quarter, the company said on Monday. That, along with its first Christmas season with the primary Disney Princess and Frozen license, helped the company top analysts’ estimates for profit and sales. Hasbro shares advanced as much as 17 percent to $96.34 on Friday, the biggest intraday gain February 2001. The stock already had gained 10 percent in the 12 months through Friday. When computer tablets went mainstream earlier this decade, sales of traditional games suffered as consumers spent more time on mobile devices. That trend has since waned as adults and kids have reverted back to in-person experiences. Last year, industrywide sales of games in the U.S. rose 21 percent to $307 million, according to NPD Group.