Feb 28, 2018 | By Tess
A team of students from New Zealand’s University of Canterbury has designed and 3D printed a titanium engine for an eco-friendly car. The AM engineering feat is reportedly a world first.
The student-designed 3D printed engine, built to run on ethanol (the same chemical compound that makes drinking alcohol), will soon be installed inside an equally innovative vehicle: a fully recyclable car made from vacuum-formed thermoplastic.
The car, which won the Design Award at last year’s University of Canterbury Eco-marathon, will be fitted with the 3D printed titanium engine and will race at the 2018 Shell Asia Eco-marathon in Singapore next month.
The event, taking place from March 8 to 11, will bring together over 100 teams from 20 countries in the Asia-Pacific region to see whose eco-car design can drive the furthest on only a liter of fuel.
“We want to define who we are as New Zealanders, and our drive to create bold and innovative solutions to the problems with which we are faced,” commented Robbie Murray, leader of the University of Canterbury’s EnduroKiwis team. “We’re excited to show our car to the world and put New Zealand on the map in Singapore this year.”
The University of Canterbury Eco-marathon car is built to travel around 135 km using just a tank’s worth of fuel (330 ml) or about 400 km per liter of fuel. We’ll have to wait a couple of weeks to see how the 3D printed titanium engine fares in the race!
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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