【3D Printing Application】The Secret to Producing Racing Champions? More Flexible 3D Printing Process!
How to use 3D printed parts in an engine? 3D printing technology is commonly used for prototyping and design development. In fields like automotive parts and factory machinery, motorsports stands out as one of the fastest and most technologically advanced sports in the world!
Hartley Engines and Motorsport designs, develops, and manufactures high-end engines and parts for motorsports and small automotive companies. Their clients have won numerous championships in races and received many awards for innovation in motorsport engineering. In the past, most development work was highly confidential and only for specific clients. Recently, they have expanded their business to offer engine kits to other engine developers and begun directly retailing more parts to consumers worldwide.
Nelson Hartley, owner of Hartley Engines, said, "We realized we couldn't build engines for everyone because there simply wasn't enough time, but we found that by offering the parts we build, we could better serve more people." One of their strengths is the ability to design and develop products very quickly and get them ready for production. Introducing 3D printing equipment to produce parts has elevated their manufacturing process to a new level.
Nelson (right) discusses design concepts at a seminar
Nelson and his team have been researching "how to use 3D printed parts in engines" for many years. After introducing new 3D printing equipment, they redesigned the aluminum parts used for the intake throttle body. "The benefit of 3D printing is design flexibility. We place great emphasis on intake port shapes, and with 3D printing, we can create incredibly complex curves and shapes that are consistent with the model."
3D printers cannot replace CNC machines, but similarly, anyone who says that production work cannot be done on a 3D printer is also wrong. As the business grows, new methods are needed to address production and R&D speed issues. "And 3D printers are very low cost, 1/30th the cost of our 5-axis CNC machines, and the parts we make on them are just as valuable to consumers... So, even if the production speed of parts is slower, running multiple 3D printers simultaneously can be more efficient than CNC machines in some cases, with a very high return on investment!"
"We used to spend a lot of time designing our machines and building machines to process or manufacture a part. Now, with a 3D printer, you just press start; no other tools are needed."
Race car engine with hybrid 3D printed parts
3D printing is also used to manufacture turbo engine plenum chambers. After using a 3D printer, the quality of the printed parts is excellent, and the performance is surprising! Nelson said, "Before this, we spent 3-4 years on development, and since we started using the INTAMSYS FUNMAT HT, we have solved 99% of the problems we encountered previously. The quality of the parts is amazing, and we have already started production!"
Now, larger sizes can be created, with more connection space and faster production speeds. In the future, this new manufacturing method will also be used to design a large number of intake manifolds and engines. Did you enjoy this sharing? Learn more about 3D printers now, and regularly follow 3DMart to receive the latest application examples! Contact us now to solve your 3D printing challenges.
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