HRE Wheels and GE Additive Collaborate to Create the First 3D-Printed Titanium Wheel

cageymaru

cageymaru

Fully [H]
Joined
Apr 10, 2003
Messages
22,086
HRE Wheels and GE Additive have collaborated to bring EBM 3D-printing technology to the world of custom automotive wheels. HRE Wheels with the help of GE AddWorks out of Ohio was able to create the first 3D-printed titanium wheel. Normal aluminum wheels start off as a 100 pound block of forged aluminum and 80% of material is removed to create the final product. With the 3D-printed titanium wheel, only 5% of the material is removed and recycled; making the 3D-printing process much more efficient. Also the wheel is extremely corrosion resistant, lightweight, and able to be shown in its raw finish. The wheel was produced on two Arcam EBM machines in 5 different sections and then combined using a custom center section and titanium fasteners.

"This is an incredibly exciting and important project for us as we get a glimpse into what the future of wheel design holds," said HRE President Alan Peltier. "Working with GE Additive's AddWorks team gave us access to the latest additive technology and an amazing team of engineers, allowing us to push the boundaries of wheel design beyond anything possible with current methods. To HRE, this partnership with GE Additive moves us into the future."
 
I care about how round my wheels are, and the amount of thread on them and air inside them, anything else i pretty much laugh at.
My best laughs are always fast and furry boy racers with plastic parts riveted on their insane loud car, and the driver thinking in so unique in my special modified car :p
I just need to get from A to B, and do so fairly cheap and without other work than wiggle my feet and arms a little.

Don not get me wrong, if i won the lottery i would spend a lot of money of vehicles, but they will all be on their stock wheels, and i will only do that as i have no one to inherit the money when i kick the bucket, and so spending money on cars ( not least in Denmark ) are one of the best ways to burn thru a lot of money.
 
THRESHIN said:
I know it's titanium, but 3d printing metals hasn't been good for strength. I wonder how these stack up to traditionally built wheels?
Click to expand...

I'd guess it's pretty good. This is laser sintering (DLMS). Powder is lasered and essentially forms a weld. Can be quite strong if done correctly with the proper post operation treatment.

Koenigsegg did a lot of the One:One car's metal parts in this way.
 
Joust said:
Want to see a $10,000 pothole? Give me one of those wheels.
Click to expand...
$10k is cheap. It is like $130k to repelace a set of Buggitti Veyron wheel/tires and you got to replace the rims after the 3rd tire chance. Which I believe only rated for 3000 miles.
 
Partially correct.

2,500 miles = change tires, ~ $33,000
10,000 miles = change rims, $50,000+

https://www.secretentourage.com/lifestyle/autos/bugatti-veyron-cost-of-ownership/

vegeta535 said:
$10k is cheap. It is like $130k to repelace a set of Buggitti Veyron wheel/tires and you got to replace the rims after the 3rd tire chance. Which I believe only rated for 3000 miles.
Click to expand...

As long as the rims retain strength, durability and reduce cost to the consumer then I don't see a problem using 3D printed rims.
 
Can you imagine just trying to clean the brake dust off those. When an actual track race car is using them in competition, I'll call it innovation. But as is, it just looks like more bolt on flash.
 
Forged aluminum wheel blanks are about 30 lbs for most sports car sizes. I would assume all their other claims are equally accurate.
 
Oldmodder said:
I care about how round my wheels are, and the amount of thread on them and air inside them, anything else i pretty much laugh at.
My best laughs are always fast and furry boy racers with plastic parts riveted on their insane loud car, and the driver thinking in so unique in my special modified car :p
I just need to get from A to B, and do so fairly cheap and without other work than wiggle my feet and arms a little.

Don not get me wrong, if i won the lottery i would spend a lot of money of vehicles, but they will all be on their stock wheels, and i will only do that as i have no one to inherit the money when i kick the bucket, and so spending money on cars ( not least in Denmark ) are one of the best ways to burn thru a lot of money.
Click to expand...
For the average passenger car it's mostly immaterial, but don't discount the importance of wheel selection for vehicles. Wheels are important for a lot of things.

Lighter wheels reduce rotational unsprung weight, which is a pretty big deal for performance cars, and to a smaller extent, lighter wheels also offer a bump in fuel economy. My Subaru has 18x12 Volk TE37s which weigh less than most wheels 3-4" narrower, but cost $950 apiece because of the cost of manufacturing (and the brand name, if we're honest). Being able to produce lighter wheels more efficiently would a boon for manufacturers and OEMs.
 
Oldmodder said:
I care about how round my wheels are, and the amount of thread on them and air inside them, anything else i pretty much laugh at.
My best laughs are always fast and furry boy racers with plastic parts riveted on their insane loud car, and the driver thinking in so unique in my special modified car :p
I just need to get from A to B, and do so fairly cheap and without other work than wiggle my feet and arms a little.

Don not get me wrong, if i won the lottery i would spend a lot of money of vehicles, but they will all be on their stock wheels, and i will only do that as i have no one to inherit the money when i kick the bucket, and so spending money on cars ( not least in Denmark ) are one of the best ways to burn thru a lot of money.
Click to expand...

I care about how rectangular my monitor is, and the amount of Facebook it displays, anything else i pretty much laugh at.
My best laughs are always fast and furry PC modders with LEDs glowing in their insane see-through computers, and the owner thinking in so unique in my special modified PC :p
I just need to get on Facebook, and do so fairly cheap and without other work than maybe type an email or look at pictures.

Don not get me wrong, if i won the lottery i would spend a lot of money on computers, but they will all be on their stock GPUs, and i will only do that as i have no one to inherit the money when i kick the bucket, and so spending money on computers ( not least in Denmark ) are one of the best ways to burn thru a lot of money.
 
This is fluff; 3d printing is very dependent on the printer; this will fail in the real world very quickly.

I've broken a number of wheels; these wouldn't bend, they'd shatter.

When I can 3d print my MN12, I'll destroy it in a day, lol.
 
Hehe yeah light have taken a big bite of many a sane mind, i remember +10 years ago when i deemed blue LED / cathode light and anything else blue as so out, and people still do it, personally i have never used blue for any project of mine.

My current computer are flat black ( textured ) and the lighting are kept to a minimum and red/orange/yellow, and still i am contemplating tinting my glass window in this case i modified almost 10 years ago when all others put in a plastic window ( regular glass Vs the hardened glass so popular in cases now )
Dont take it so personal, i said what I feel, and i am totally aware that i am and always have been the odd dog out.
I have been known to put monumental levels of audio equipment in a car, 2 - 3 12 " subs fed each by a 500 W amp have often been the norm, but i have outgrown that insanity too so now i just have the factory POS radio that i hardly use in my 70 BHP little Japanese car.
 
I'd be much more impressed if they were designed for real use- those are just car jewelry. Mind you, the shapes are interesting and it's certainly pretty in a way, but useless.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top