Quote:
Originally Posted by VillaRicaGA911
Carbon fiber wheels, 3D printed parts, things are about to get very interesting in the internal combustion engine world. I wonder who in F1 is already doing this, if Porsche is even on an experimental bases and telling the world about it then what is Red Bull, Mercedes or McLaren doing in F1 that they are not telling anyone about.
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An intern that worked with me back in 95 or 96 made a carbon fibre road car wheel for his final year degree project. He tested it on his Saab 96
, might have even been the first ever prototype carbon road car wheel
All F1 teams use 3D printed parts, not sure if any engine manufacturers are doing the same thing as Porsche as the high 15,000 RPM loads maybe too much for a sintered piston to survive.
First time I designed parts for 3D printing was in 97, my first impression was it's James Bond technology like Q would have used
. Technology/materials have come a long way since then. F1 teams started with wind tunnel model plastic parts and then plastic car parts and then metal parts. Some teams can even manufacture parts at the track.
I've designed parts in all sorts of materials including titanium. Takes a special kind of thinking when creating the shapes as the normal shape constraints with more traditional manufacturing methods don't apply. It does have it's limits and not the 'do all' answer to everything.
Just this week I had a 3D supplier call me up asking if I had a project they could use as a show case to present to EV road car manufacturers. I'd previously done some 'tricky' parts with this supplier before. We really pushed the limits of their processes so I'm guessing they must have liked what I did
