Volkswagen Toolmaking Tests the World's First 3D Printed Titanium Brake Caliper

[cageymaru]

Volkswagen Toolmaking has recently been expanded from 460 to 3,100 square meters so give its toolmakers, designers, developers, and researchers more space to collaborate on new technology faster. A goal of the project is to use 3D printing technology in series production at the site. In addition to the world's first brake caliper shown in the video below, the VW research facilities have 3D printed wheels and other parts for the Audi lunar quattro moon rover, parts for electric race cars, and rare, discontinued parts for vintage vehicles. Volkswagen had been relying upon the Selective Laser Melting Process (SLM) where materials such as steel are in the form of a fine powder that is applied to the areas where the component is to be made and then melted by a laser. The melted powder hardens and forms a solid layer of material that is combined with other layers to form a three-dimensional object.

A new collaboration with printer manufacturer HP and GKN Powder Metallurgy has integrated the Binder Jetting process into manufacturing production to supplement the SLM process. The Binder Jetting process makes components layer-by-layer and fuses them using metal powder and binding substrates (binder). Heating the component by pressure yields a formed metallic part. Volkswagen says that the Binder Jetting machines make 3D printing metallic parts not only simpler; but also faster! This advance in technology has spurred the drive to move into the production of 3D printed metallic parts as the increased construction rate has made it cheaper than traditional manufacturing and other 3D metal printing technologies.

Bugatti is another member of the Volkswagen Group that is instrumental in advancing innovative future-oriented technologies. It has developed the world's first brake caliper made by additive manufacturing, namely an 8-piston monobloc model. The French super sports car brand is also the first series producer to use titanium and at the same time produced the largest brake caliper in the automotive industry. Bugatti's newly developed 3D printed brake caliper uses an alloy that appears primarily in aeronautic and aviation applications and features especially high strength and performance properties. Compared to previous aluminum components, which are installed in cars like the Bugatti Chiron, the printed titanium brake caliper could save considerable weight and would also be more robust.

 

[freeloader1969]

And I thought the Brembos on my Mustang were huge; that caliper is a monster. I'd love to know what brake pads they were using on that setup.

 

[Draax]

Finally calipers which will hold up to me going 375 km/h

 

[TitaniumLizzard]

Did they cheat in this test too? #dieselgate

 

[gxp500]

Coming to your vw golf in 20 years... maybe 30.

And I thought the Brembos on my Mustang were huge; that caliper is a monster. I'd love to know what brake pads they were using on that setup.

It looks huge but its mostly empty inside, must weigh a fraction of a typical caliper.

 

[Rajincajun]

But can it play Crysis?

 

[DukenukemX]

Fuck the caliper, that rotor is going to warp so badly after this and those brake pads are probably for the trash can. I'd like to see titanium rotors cause they warp all the time on my cars.

 

[westrock2000]

Did they cheat in this test too? #dieselgate

Some of the most creative and game changing designs in racing came about from rules not being narrowly defined. Can't blame them for using the same thought process in other competitions ^_^

Or as we say in this industry...creative use of game mechanics

 

[westrock2000]

3D printing is going to eventually change the way things are made in a very profound way. Currently nearly all tangible products place a high design emphasis on production capability. Most things have right angles because right angles are easier to manufacture. Most things have continues planes because it's easier to extrude a material and "cut to length" after. But if you could design something that puts the emphasis on results of the production application, the end result could look shockingly different that what we expect. Even when it may look the same externally, internally it could be completely different.

Think about the cooling channels in an engine. Although the channels are cast and can theoretically have any design, you have to take into consideration how to get the casting media in there, how to get it out and how to drill to get access to the channels. But if you made a 3D object through a sequence of 2D layers, most of that consideration goes away. Your cooling channels could be zig zags, spirals, crisscross, whatever is the best solution for cooling....not manufacturing.

 

[nightanole]

Great, so how about figuring out how to make the brakes on 3500lb cars not warp under hard braking above 45mph, you know that problem we have had since the 90's?

 

[Slade]

I've seen this technology used to make titanium printed rims. Looks pretty awesome though I don't imagine any car having enough fuel or tire tread left to do 3 x 400km/hr+ runs in a row. The veryon ran out of fuel in 12ish minutes and tire tread in 15ish mins at 400kph

https://www.roadandtrack.com/new-ca...089770/hre-3d-plus-3d-printed-titanium-wheel/

 

[the-one1]

Did they cheat in this test too? #dieselgate

They beat the system just like Capt. Kirk did with the Kobayashi Maru, by cheating

 

[Verge]

And I thought the Brembos on my Mustang were huge; that caliper is a monster. I'd love to know what brake pads they were using on that setup.

Probably 8 piston, i think most brembo's on domestic cars are 4 or 6.

i would suspect carbon ceramic pads(huge $$$ to replace)

 

[AngeloBJ]

My favorite part....besides the fact that the wheel was HAULING ASS...was this:

"increased construction rate has made it cheaper than traditional manufacturing and other 3D metal printing technologies"

Yet we all know it will be 10x the cost.

 

[Jim Kim]

Let me know when they test 3d printed rotors.

 

[Deleted member 243478]

Fuck the caliper, that rotor is going to warp so badly after this and those brake pads are probably for the trash can. I'd like to see titanium rotors cause they warp all the time on my cars.

The rotor is carbon ceramic, they do not warp.

 

[Deleted member 184142]

Fuck the caliper, that rotor is going to warp so badly after this and those brake pads are probably for the trash can. I'd like to see titanium rotors cause they warp all the time on my cars.

Except rotors don't warp. TV, runout etc etc, yes, but not warping in most cases. That is a SAE style brake dyno, which SAE has done TONS of testing for warping and brake "judder" and have found rotors crack and even soften and "flow" into the vane before any warping happens. Most shops that claim warping or drivers who claim such are actually experiencing TV from pad material or contact with pads over time. Also, the pads are probably fine, as they are definitely metallic pads, not your normal cork wood pads that glaze over at the first sign of heat. Most metallic race pads will be rated to 1,600-1,800F.

The rotor is carbon ceramic, they do not warp.

Have a link to more details on the setup? I have seen SOME sparking from carbon ceramic brakes before, but nothing like from the video, would be interesting to see what they are using. As it's acting like a iron/metallic pad combo.

 

[Galvin]

3D printing is where everything is going. Getting rid of molds to me seems like a huge thing. Then every part is controlled by software to print

 

[Deleted member 184142]

3D printing is where everything is going. Getting rid of molds to me seems like a huge thing. Then every part is controlled by software to print

And you dont think parts are controlled by software now? The molds and machining is all done in software. Everything is NOT going 3D printed, it is slow and expensive, it is also unneeded for most parts as 3D printing of metal like this is nice because of the part complexity that making a mold or CNCing it out is not possible, if it was it would be cheaper and stronger to make a forged part. Out side of that there is no gain by using 3D printing, other than a longer and more complex process with very expensive tooling.

 

[Draax]

3D printing is great and all ... still limited by speed and materials. A 5-axis CNC milled Wax part, used to make a mold, can do virtually anything a 3D printer can do and has a much shorter production time as you can reuse the mold.

3D printing can be superior in creating really complex forms, jet engine turbines, and internal channels.

 

[DrBorg]

Fuck the caliper, that rotor is going to warp so badly after this and those brake pads are probably for the trash can. I'd like to see titanium rotors cause they warp all the time on my cars.

Titanium has really poor heat transfer; the outer surface would vaporize under heavy braking, making it an ablative disk.

You need a good heat transfer to prevent ablation.

Steel works well, cast iron works well; Stainless steel would have the same issue as Ti.

Learn some engineering; it's not hard.

 

[DukenukemX]

Titanium has really poor heat transfer; the outer surface would vaporize under heavy braking, making it an ablative disk.

You need a good heat transfer to prevent ablation.

Steel works well, cast iron works well; Stainless steel would have the same issue as Ti.

Learn some engineering; it's not hard.

Brake rotors don't warp to heat but from uneven wear. But whatever the case is they need to fix the brake rotor warping issue.

 

[Chebsy]

Wow, that takes some punishment !!

 

[Deleted member 243478]

Except rotors don't warp. TV, runout etc etc, yes, but not warping in most cases. That is a SAE style brake dyno, which SAE has done TONS of testing for warping and brake "judder" and have found rotors crack and even soften and "flow" into the vane before any warping happens. Most shops that claim warping or drivers who claim such are actually experiencing TV from pad material or contact with pads over time. Also, the pads are probably fine, as they are definitely metallic pads, not your normal cork wood pads that glaze over at the first sign of heat. Most metallic race pads will be rated to 1,600-1,800F.



Have a link to more details on the setup? I have seen SOME sparking from carbon ceramic brakes before, but nothing like from the video, would be interesting to see what they are using. As it's acting like a iron/metallic pad combo.

Carbon ceramic rotors have been used by Bugatti since the Veyron, its the only rotor material rhat can handle that sort of punishment.

 

[Deleted member 184142]

Carbon ceramic rotors have been used by Bugatti since the Veyron, its the only rotor material rhat can handle that sort of punishment.

Lol, no, no its not. Iron as well as Carbon Carbon will do just fine as well. This is also not on a car, it is a prototype caliper on a brake dyno, they can use whatever rotor and pad they wish, and in most cases DO use iron and metallic pads because of friction range and torque that can be applied to the caliper very fast to test for strength, it also makes for a better video with all the sparks, as this was a very over produced video, watching brake dynos of F1 carbon brakes are pretty boring as they don't spark at all. As carbon ceramic and carbon carbon need to be quiet hot before they actually start to "bite" as good as iron rotors, even once heated carbon rotor setups will feel far more "mushy" than an iron rotor setup. They have advantages, for sure, but you act like carbon ceramic is the only thing to hold up to that is laughable, as all sorts of racing has been using iron rotors forever, it has only been pretty recent that highend racing has moved over, with the main reason being weight savings.