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Metal additive manufacturing has opened up new development opportunities for thermal engines.
A team made up of Renault Truck engineers and designers is looking to boost engine performances by introducing metal 3D printing to its production processes.
The Renault Trucks Lyon Powertrain Engineering department has focused on using metal additive manufacturing as a future engine manufacturing process. A sample model of a DTI 5 4-cylinder Euro 6 step C engine has already been designed exclusively with 3D printing techniques.
Although the complete engine was already designed virtually, rocker arms and camshaft bearing caps were manufactured by metal 3D printing and successfully bench-tested for 600 hours inside a Euro 6 engine.
“The aim of this project is to demonstrate the positive impact of metal additive manufacturing on the size and weight of an engine,” said Damien Lemasson, Project Manager at Renault Trucks. “This process has enabled us to reduce the weight of a 4-cylinder engine by 120kg, or 25%. The tests we have carried out prove the durability of engine components made using 3D printing. It’s not just cosmetic.” Read more
Source: TCT MAGAZINE
