May 30, 2015 | By Simon
While we’ve seen how 3D printing has helped create prototypes for a range of mechanical designs for the use in transportation designs, it is perhaps the use of additive manufacturing in creating custom, one-off parts for high-performance engines that is the most impressive.
Using additive manufacturing technologies including EOS Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) methods, quality control factors such as heat distribution, powder degradation, dimensional accuracy, repeatability, component quality and performance quality have all carried over from traditional manufacturing to additive manufacturing without a hitch.
Ultimately, due to the low cost and high accuracy of printing high-strength 3D printed parts for cheap, it would only make sense that more and more engineers and designers are moving from traditional methods of production over to the quicker, cheaper and easier method of producing parts using additive manufacturing methods.
Most recently, the PRz Racing Team, a student-based automotive racing team that was formed at the Reszów University of Technology in Poland, used additive manufacturing to create the intake system for their latest car design - which will be used in the upcoming Formula Student event in July.
Organized by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and SAE International, the Formula Student contest is a prestige event that brings in the most talented students from some of the world’s largest technical universities. The competition revolves around the design and fabrication of a small-scale Formula style race car that takes part in a race on Formula 1 race tracks. While the contest rules allow for a wide variety of projects, all of the cars are ran through a series of static and dynamic tests in order to test the final design and engineering innovations done by the students.
For their design, students from the PRz Racing Team decided to design and fabricate their own ABS intake system using fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology. With support from 3D printing supplier Jelwek Sp. z o. o., the team was able to incorporate the use of NinjaFlexfilament into their intake system for the rubber seals - which was one of the more significant challenges of the intake system design due to their important role in the system’s functions including preserving a vacuum seal while the engine is accelerating. The seals were printed on a Jelwek Prusa i3 3D printer using the NinjaFlex Midnight 3mm filament.
Considering that one of the critical components of the project was the cost of construction, the decision to use additive manufacturing where applicable was a wise choice for the talented design team; not to mention, it also probably shaved some of the total weight off of the car.
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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Last year, Serbian Student Formula team and Voxellab 3D company made variable intake system for racing formula - http://voxellab.rs/drumska-strela-izrada-delova-za-takmicarsko-vozilo/
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