Automotive

Introducing the “faster than Formula 1” hypercar with a 3D printed gearbox

New Zealand-based automotive manufacturerRodin Carshas revealed that its upcoming ‘FZERO’ hypercar is set to feature a 3D printed gearbox.

据信是同类产品中的第一个,该车辆的变速箱包括液压控制的差速器,以帮助管理其1,000 bhp发动机产生的扭矩,而罗丹(Rodin)已将其构建为“比现代F1赛车更快”。

通过与3D Systems要3D打印定制的变速箱,而不是坚持使用常规的铸造和铣削,罗丹汽车已经能够使其更小,更轻和有弹性,以忍受赛道日的严谨性。

罗丹汽车的创始人戴维·迪克(David Dicker)说:“使用Rodin Fzero变速箱,我们有特定的标准在体重和耐用性方面要满足。”“由于如此大的组件所需的尺寸和质量,只能将其打印在3D Systems的DMP工厂500机器上。我们无法提供另一个能够为我们的需求提供类似解决方案的AM供应商。”

“3D printing allows us to design and create components otherwise unachievable using traditional methods of manufacturing.”

Rodin’s road-legal race car

罗丹汽车位于新西兰南岛的一个偏远地区,是一家独立的超级跑车制造商,偏爱用公路法律单人座推动极限。该公司在其550公顷的测试综合体中工作,其中包括三首轨道以及配备3D打印的生产设施,该公司于2019年推出了第一辆田径车,并以300 kph的能力Rodin“ FZED”推出。

Built with a semi-automatic paddle shift gearbox developed by engineering firmRicardo, and sporting a livery akin to that of a Lotus F1 car, the FZED churns out an impressive 675 bhp, allowing it to reach 100 kph in just 2.9 seconds. Now, not satisfied with the performance achieved with its first effort, Rodin Cars has decided to create an even faster car with a custom V10 engine that revs up to 1,000 bhp.

However, in order to accommodate this added power, Rodin Cars has had to develop a redesigned gearbox for the FZERO, as using normal magnesium casting and machining would make it too heavy and fragile for a track-day thrashing, thus the firm has now turned to 3D Systems for help building a titanium alternative.

Rodin Cars' 3D printed gearbox.
罗丹汽车的3D打印变速箱。通过3D系统照片。

3D printing a world’s first

During the gearbox’s painstaking 18-month-long design process, Rodin Cars worked with Ricardo once again, but also formed a partnership with 3D Systems’Application Innovation Group(AIG). By collaborating closely with Rodin Cars’ engineers in Belgium and the U.S, and leveraging aDMP工厂500system, the AIG team were ultimately able to produce a unique eight-speed sequential transmission system.

由于其复杂的内部画廊,薄壁的轴承结构和总重量仅为68公斤,因此3D系统表示,无法以其他任何方式建造所得的变速箱。该部分最初是在比利时生产的,它不仅是为适应特定的齿轮比例而定制的,而且还具有紧凑的几何形状,旨在使新的Fzero不受破坏而将其推向极限。

Following the gearbox’s successful redesign, it has since been shipped to Rodin Cars for serial production, while the firm has also installed a DMP Factory 500 system to 3D print hundreds of other bespoke parts for its upcoming hypercar, in addition to one of 3D Systems’ SLA machines as a means of creating tooling for the FZERO’s carbon fiber forms.

Now said to be reaching “the final stages of development,” the FZERO will soon be available in two variants: a 700bhp edition with a naturally-aspirated engine, and a turbo-charged 1,000 bhp model. Although the hypercars’ pricing has not yet been released, the £600,000 price tag of their predecessor, suggests that the company’s innovation will come at a similarly-luxurious outlay for would-be buyers.

3雷电竞充值D Systems的运输与赛车领导者Kevin Baughey总结说:“增材制造业使行业领导者能够无视限制并分开。”“这是一个闪亮的例子,说明添加剂制造方式不仅可以通过传统方法生产零件雷电竞充值,而且还可以提供更轻,更耐用,更漂亮的车辆。”

“这是设计艺术与绩效赛车和赛车运动科学的融合。”

A concept image of Rodin Cars' upcoming FZERO hypercar. Image via Rodin Cars.
Rodin Cars即将推出的Fzero Hypercar的概念图像。通过罗丹汽车的图像。

Taking 3D printing to the limit

While 3D printing has long been used for automotive prototyping, the technology’s now advanced to the point that it’s being applied to create cutting-edge end-use hypercar parts. Most recently, the UK-basedArash Motor CompanyemployedMakerBot3D printing within the production of its最新的HyperCAR组件

同样,设计工程公司CALLUM已经使用Makerbot的方法X 3D打印机来生产原型,工具和低廉的组件。r-Reforged的一次性调谐Aston MartinVanquish. The 25 custom-built supercars featureadditive manufactured brake ducts以及限量版规模,它们是内部建造的,成本降低。

In more exotic cases, automotive companies such asCzingerhave even used 3D printing to produce parts for rapid hypercars like the 1,250 bhp $1.7 million ’21C.’ The mostly hand-assembled street-legal rocketship has been built alongsideSLM Solutions, which has helped3 d打印它的铬镍铁合金排气系统和钛挡风玻璃部分。

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Featured image shows Rodin Cars’ 3D printed gearbox. Photo via 3D Systems.