Done is the engine of more 3d printing

3D printed engine: What is possible?

Posted By Lucie Gaget on Aug 18, 2020 |

3D printing is offering a lot of possibilities for many industries, and aeronautics and aerospatial are some of them. These industries are actually making the most of this technology, both for prototyping and production. New opportunities are constantly offered to these industries with the development of new advanced technologies and materials. Many mechanical items can be created thanks to additive manufacturing, such as engine parts for an aircraft, a rocket, or a car! In this blogpost, we will discuss 3D printed engines. First, we will see how 3D printing is helping to create mechanical parts, and how it is now possible to produce a 3D printed engine, thanks to the variety of 3D printing materials available on the market. Let’s see what could be improved thanks to this technology and get ready for space exploration!

Additive manufacturing used in aerospace, aeronautics & automotive

Why could 3D printing an engine be a great advantage?

This advanced manufacturing process can really be a great asset for engine component production. Using 3D printers for prototyping and for production has many advantages and could help you to improve your product development, optimizing volumes and performance, creating parts with intricate geometries, and great aerodynamic properties. 

• Prototyping with 3D printing

Additive manufacturing is known to be a good prototyping method. It is allowing the manufacturers to make many iterations at a lower cost and quite quickly. Moreover, as you have to work on CAD software to create your parts, you only have to make modifications on your 3D file if you need to change something. It will allow you to work way faster than with other processes. Optimize your prototyping process by using materials such as high-performance plastics.

• Production with 3D printing

Additive manufacturing is well used for prototyping, but it is now more and more used for production, even to create mechanical parts! This manufacturing process is totally able to create viable parts for mechanical projects.

Indeed, the 3D printing technology is evolving really fast and many resistant engineering materials are now entering the market. When it comes to aerospace, aeronautics, or even automobile, it is important to have heat resistant parts, especially if you want to produce engine components. In aerospace, additive manufacturing is often used to create lightweight components. It depends on the 3D printing material that is used, but 3D printed structures can be way lighter if the design is well optimized, and if the right material is used. 

3D printing becoming a trusted technology

3D printed motor projects are mostly developed in the aerospace industry for the moment, but this trend is quickly spreading to the automotive world. Materials such as metals are widely used in these demanding and technical sectors. Metal 3D printing technologies such as DMLS/SLM are perfect for these projects. But the additive manufacturing industry is now developing and putting on the market new high-performance polymers, already used in these sectors using traditional manufacturing techniques such as CNC machining or injection molding. This way, PA6 FR, PA6 MF, TPU, and Polypropylene are now 3D printable for these sectors.

NASA and the ESA are really interested in this fabrication process, they see all the benefits of this technology and how they could use it for prototyping and for the production of mechanical parts. Indeed, this technology is allowing us to work on designs, and to create complex geometries really easily. That is why this technology is beginning to be interesting for some projects, for example, to manufacture motor parts. A lot of recent NASA tests are including 3D printing technology. We will talk about the RS25 later in this blogpost!

SpaceX is also working a lot with this advanced manufacturing process. This aerospace manufacturer used 3D printing to make spaceflight hardware and actually launched a 3D printed rocket engine to space.

Using 3D modeling software to create mechanical parts to improve your process

In order to prototype or even produce with 3D printing, you will need to use a 3D modeling software for mechanical engineering projects. Indeed, some software on the market dedicated to mechanical engineering that will help you to design technical parts for your rocket engine projects. For example, Autodesk edited different 3D modeling software that could perfectly be used for mechanical engineering, such as Fusion 360 or Inventor. But you can also use software such as CATIA that is a professional software that could help you with complex geometries. We also made selections of software according to the industry you are working in: car design app, and aircraft design software. These programs might offer some interesting features for your projects. More than design and 3D modeling, these software can offer you some great possibilities in terms of simulation, visualization, and rendering, improving your processes and making it easier to develop complex devices.

Manufacturing engines using additive manufacturing 

Here are a few examples of engines featuring the use of 3D printing. These could inspire you for your next project. If you have any questions about the services offered by Sculpteo please contact us! 

3D printed rocket engine goes into space from New Zealand

This motor has been 3D printed in only 24 hours. This rocket engine has been developed by a US company called RocketLab. Details about the materials and the manufacturing process are not available, but we know that additive manufacturing allowed them to create important engine components really quickly. This process is allowing them to get lighter parts, thanks to an optimized design. Here is how the 3D printed engine made by RocketLab looks:

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/rocket-lab-3d-printed-engine260520174/

Australian engine rocket has successfully been fire tested

Here is another 3D printed engine created by engineers in Australia’s Monash University. 3D printing allowed to create a rocket with a different shape, to improve the propulsion of the rocket. The goal of this experiment was to work on a new design to make the rocket even more efficient, and 3D printing is the best method to improve this aspect really easily.

This manufacturing process definitely allows to work faster: this project went from idea to testing in only four months. In the end, this engine and its aerospace design succeeded the hotfire tests!

Credit: COURTESY OF MONASH UNIVERSITY

3D printed internal combustion engine

Each year, the Shell Eco-marathon invites students from all over the world to compete and develop innovative and energy-efficient vehicles. If 3D printing has been used by some participants, a team from the University of Canterbury in New Zealand created the world’s first 3D printed titanium internal combustion engine (ICE) for their car in this year’s Eco-marathon Asia!

Most of the time, while 3D printing is used in the manufacturing process of engines, only a few components are actually 3D printed. In this precise project, the whole engine has been 3D printed using titanium and runs on sustainable, carbon-neutral ethanol. This project is showing how it is possible to develop innovative solutions, with technologies such as 3D printing.

3D printed Toyota 4 22RE engine

Chinese company Winbo Smart Tech 3D printed a four-cylinder Toyota engine in only three days using FDM 3D printers. This engine is composed of 130 entirely 3D printed parts, to show the potential of 3D printing machines: all kinds of parts are 3D printable and can easily be assembled. 

Engineers working for NASA are prototyping a rocket engine

Additive manufacturing is an amazing tool to make prototypes. Prototyping with metal 3D printing is now possible, but using this technology to print with two different materials is still difficult. But for NASA engineers, difficult doesn’t mean impossible. They actually created a rocket engine prototype using two different metals: copper alloy and Inconel. They used a process called brazing, in order to join 2 different types of metal, creating a brand new component. This advanced process is offering promising possibilities for future 3D printed metal parts.

SuperDraco, an engine made thanks to additive manufacturing

SpaceX is known to use 3D printing a lot. They actually built a rocket engine using 3D printing, it is called SuperDraco. This process has been used on different levels. First, for testing, 3D printing has been used instead of the traditional casting method. 3D printing has also been an advantage for the manufacturing process, and it really reduced the lead-time. The 3D printed parts were even more resistant than traditional ones.

3D printing: A way to reduce costs for NASA

Creating motor parts using 3D printing is actually helping NASA to reduce engine costs. Indeed, it is allowing them to get more affordable parts. 3D printing complex shapes in just one part allows to avoid welds. Indeed, optimizing the design helps to reduce the number of welds, and it can obviously reduce costs and production time. That is why this manufacturing process will be more and more used in the future to build rocket engines for NASA tests.

3D printing is really seen as a serious technology. It has even been part of the recent RS25 tests. The RS25 engine is the most powerful rocket engine ever created. This Space Launch System has a 3D printed component called pogo accumulator, a shock absorber placed inside of the rocket engine.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-prepares-to-fly-first-rs-25-flight-engine-test-set-for-march

The future of 3D printing for engines

New 3D printers and new 3D printing materials are now appearing on the market, allowing to manufacture impressive projects. For example, metal 3D printing is becoming more and more accurate, which is a real game-changer for many industries. Printer manufacturers are also developing large-scale 3D printers. Instead of components, it will be possible to print larger parts more easily. Last but not least, more and more impressive 3D printing materials are developed each year, which makes the future of 3D printing really promising! Projects developed with 3D printing are always getting more ambitious, pushing the boundaries of manufacturing. This is proof that this additive process is making it possible to improve product development and the product itself very easily.

You need to 3D print a project, for prototyping or production? Upload your 3D file on our online 3D printing service right now.

3D-printed engine has fewer parts and is lighter

Electric motors haven’t seen much change in their material makeup—or design—since their inception. Now, researchers around the globe are studying the possibilities of a 3-D printed motor for weight reduction and performance gains.
 
Still, the 3-D printed electric motor remained only a theoretical construct until very recently. Recently, a team at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry, England, built an electric motor through additive manufacturing, with plans to build on that first attempt.
 
The researchers recently 3-D printed the major engine parts. They have already developed a way to print the motor casing, including the necessary cooling channels for their water-cooled engine.

Put the parts and the casing together and you have a completely printed electric engine. Though the printed parts are smaller and lighter than conventional motor components, the final result has higher output power. The printed motor is made up of fewer parts than its traditional counterpart, which can simplify manufacturing supply chains, cut running costs, and reduce assembly and inspection time, said Dan Walton, MTC technology manager for electrification. He led a cross-functional team of engineers who specialized in product design, additive manufacturing, materials, and simulation.
 
Walton is amused to think the group’s original plan was to further scientific thought about an electric motor produced via additive manufacturing.
 
“However, as the project progressed we realized that some of the 3-D printing technologies we were using were already suited for a motor,” Walton said. “So we decided to produce a few designs.”
 
Why all this work toward a printed electric motor anyway? Walton has a ready answer.

More for You: Using Micro 3D Printing for Short-Run Production

Additive manufacturing brings with it a design freedom that allows engineers to combine components in ways they couldn’t if the motor was to be manufactured traditionally. Benefits include:
 

• Slashed low-production lead times, as tooling isn’t needed to 3-D print components
• Fewer assembly steps
• Fewer parts to design and manage
• Fewer pieces of manufacturing machinery needed for production, which would free up floor space and cut capital costs

To demonstrate their methods, the MTC team began by repurposing an off-the-shelf electric motor. They removed the air-cooled-casing, made by casting, and replaced it with a 3-D printed water-cooled motor housing.

Their repurposed engine showed a 10 percent savings in mass and a 30 percent reduction in size, mostly due to the capability to design and integrate components in new, space-saving ways, Walton said.

“The work was intended as a thought-provoking piece to show what was possible, so we didn’t test the machine to its limits,” he added. “However, a good rule of thumb is that moving from an air-cooled to a water-cooled electric motor can provide you with two to three times the power depending on the motor construction.”

He does cite a drawback to additive manufacturing.

“The AM process is undoubtedly slower than a high-volume manufacturing process,” he said. “It’s the reason why you are more likely to see an AM motor in an aerospace or motorsport application, rather than a mass produced electric vehicle.”

Reader’s Choice: 3D Printing Serves Up the Main Course

The process engineers use to design the AM motor casing and cooling chambers differs little from the design of traditional cast casings.

“As with many development projects, we start with requirements and limiting factors,” Walton said. “What does the motor casing to connect to? What stresses will it see? Where can I place the sensors and connectors? What material can I use?”

After answering those questions, the designers created a series of conceptual CAD models in which they mapped and visualized the available space.

“Often these concepts are much heavier than required, but it is an opportunity for us to consider the “design for assembly” challenges for the product,” Walton said. “It means we ask questions like: can I combine these parts? Do I need these fasteners? How do I put this motor together in the most efficient manner?”

They used a digital simulation and design tool called topology optimization that optimizes the shape of the parts for minimized mass. “The output of the tool is often a highly organic geometry that requires some user intervention to ensure the parts can be manufactured,” Walton said.

But the MTC team hasn’t stopped at swapping out parts inside a traditionally manufactured motor. They’ve actually designed and manufactured an entire electric motor from scratch, including the housing. Its big reveal is coming soon, Walton said.

“As part of the exercise, we made a like-for-like comparison between the traditional and the novel manufacturing technologies for a water-cooled motor," he said. "That means we can compare the effect of AM on cost, lead time, mass, volume, part count, and more.”

For the comparison, the team designed a traditionally manufactured motor housing, an AM housing and an “indirect AM housing,” in which a 3-D printed mold tool is used for casting. Those comparison numbers are also coming soon, but Walton did tease the results.

“We’re seeing some fantastic benefits with in regard to reduced mass, volume, and number of components,” he said.

Editor’s Pick: 3D Printing Steps into Housing

The team’s next steps? Further improvements.

“We’ve focused exclusively on the benefits of additive manufacturing as a replacement for the load-bearing components which aren’t active within the running motor,” Walton said. “But there’s plenty of opportunity for further improvement in this area,whether it’s new, stronger material alloys that allow for lighter-weight components or through further design to locate cooling channels closer to the source of heat generation. ”

His team is also turning attention to the “active “ components within the motor.

“For example, the development of additive manufactured motor windings has the potential to achieve a real step-change in the performance of electric motors in the future,” Walton said.

Those goals are pretty far from the “theoretical” study of a 3-D printed electric motor the group originally undertook. 

Jean Thilmany writes on technology and science from Saint Paul, Minn.
 

Top 10 3D Printing Applications

As people in the know say, the main problem with 3D printing is that no one knows why it is needed. Unfortunately, for the majority of Russians, additive technologies still remain something mysterious and incomprehensible, despite their growing popularity around the world. In fact, household 3D printers are quite easy to use, and quite successfully produced by Russian companies at quite affordable prices. Industrial devices are very expensive, but their potential cannot but impress. Let's look at what can and should be printed using the ten most striking examples of the use of 3D printers in everyday life and industry.

Medical

The most promising direction for 3D printing in general is piece or small-scale production. If consumer goods are easier and cheaper to cast and stamp, then customized products are more profitable to print, because 3D printing allows you to go from a digital model directly to production, without requiring the manufacture of expensive tooling. Sometimes, however, it is simply impossible to do without piece production. Excellent examples are children's prostheses, which need to be constantly changed as the child grows. The idea of ​​prosthetics has become widespread around the world, with some fully capable mechanical versions costing as little as $50, while custom-made prostheses can cost as much as $50,000. The most famous domestic project in this direction was Can Touch, founded by Vladimir Rumyantsev with the support of the W.E.A.S. robotics. Designers are helped by 3D scanners used to obtain a three-dimensional drawing of a limb. Then the prosthesis is printed according to the obtained dimensions and outlines. Recently, the company has been using professional 3D printers for higher quality surfaces, but fully functional and very cheap versions can be obtained using consumer printers.

But dentures are just the beginning. There is a special direction in additive manufacturing called bioprinting. Its essence lies in the 3D printing of three-dimensional structures with living cells and biodegradable materials that serve as a scaffold or "matrix" for the cell mass. Of course, it is possible to grow a cell mass in a test tube, but only bioprinting can create a fully functional organ from several tissues and with a network of blood vessels, and even suitable for transplantation. Work in this direction is already underway, although complex organs have not yet been obtained. The most advanced example can be considered the experiments of the Russian company 3D Bioprinting Solutions, which printed the thyroid gland, which was then successfully implanted in an experimental mouse. But the American company Organovo already produces liver tissue used as samples for testing new drugs for efficacy, toxicity and side effects without the participation of bipedal test subjects.

Sometimes it is not necessary to print a new organ to save a life. You can fix an existing one. A vivid example was the operation performed by surgeons of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University. Doctors had to save a baby born with a complex heart defect. In order to understand the structure of the defect, the doctors printed an exact model of the heart from tomographic images and worked out all the details before proceeding with two complex operations. The story ended happily: the boy went to a quick recovery.

Robotics

We already mentioned prostheses, but what about full-fledged robots? Easily. There are actually a lot of options, but the development of Siemens is interesting because it is based on 3D printed robots that act as 3D printers! As conceived by the creators, such devices should serve as a production swarm like ants or bees. A group of machines follows common algorithms by printing new objects using onboard 3D printers.

Such "robo-spiders" work on batteries, remembering their position in space and relative to each other. When the batteries are low, the spider robot calls a fully charged shifter, and he goes to rest and recharge. The developers believe that the industrial version of such a swarm will be able to produce truly large-sized objects like buildings or ship hulls.

Construction

True, buildings can be printed now. There are not many construction 3D printers yet, but they are already showing interesting results. The essence of the process, as a rule, comes down to layer-by-layer printing of walls from a specially formulated cement mixture. The recipe for the mixture is very important, as it needs to set quickly enough to not be crushed by subsequent layers. On the other hand, drying too quickly will prevent the layers from setting to each other. The resulting hollow walls serve as a kind of fixed formwork, into which you can insert insulation, reinforcement, conduct communications, and for greater strength, fill the remaining cavities with concrete and get a monolithic structure. The advantage of this technology over the usual formwork is the ability to create all sorts of hitherto unthinkable shapes - rounded, spiral, etc.

An excellent example is the work of Andrey Rudenko, who printed a miniature castle in the illustration. Andrey recently took on a very serious project by printing an extension to a hotel complex in the Philippines. And the dexterous Chinese at WinSun have already printed the five-story building, although they completed the project piecemeal, assembling the printed panels on site.

Automotive

In just a few years, you'll notice a new car pulling out of your neighbor's garage every time. How can this be? The answer is simple: he prints them. Automotive parts production has quickly become one of the favorite destinations for DIY printers or "makers". Is it worth waiting for delivery or scouring the shops for a broken handle or a hood ornament torn off by a bully when they can be printed? At the same time, printed products cost mere pennies, while spare parts from dealers can be quite expensive. For printing, you can use ABS plastic - the same one from which most plastic trim elements are made. But the automotive 3D printing career didn't end there.

When MarkForged introduced a special 3D printer that allows printing with plastic and carbon fiber composites, 3D printed parts began to appear even on Formula 1 cars. And the American company Local Motors went even further and created a car with a 3D printed body. Now even Toyota is working on its version of the 3D printed machine.

Space

Those born to fly should not crawl, and astronauts love high-tech gadgets. A space 3D printer suggests itself! The first such device, similar to bar desktop machines available on Earth to anyone, was launched into orbit in September 2014. The Made in Space 3D printer has been successfully tested in zero gravity and has already returned to its home planet, and it has been replaced by a more advanced version.

And yes, like motorists, astronauts intend to use 3D printing to produce spare parts. The logic here is simple: why carry a complete set of parts and tools into orbit when they can be printed as needed from the relatively small stock of materials on board the station? The latest Made in Space project, still conceptual, involves 3D printing of engines and onboard equipment on asteroids using improvised materials. What for? To deliver a huge block of valuable raw materials to low Earth orbit, where it can be used to build new orbital structures or lower to Earth.

Although everyone has their own worries: Italian astronauts don't start their day without a cup of espresso brewed with a special coffee machine. And in order to prevent the drink from spreading throughout the station, 3D-printed cups of a special shape are used to hold the liquid due to surface tension. And quite recently, a Russian satellite, manufactured by specialists from the Tomsk Polytechnic University, arrived on board the ISS. The design of the satellite is partially made using 3D printing.

Aircraft

Wait, what other 3D printed engines? Is it possible? Quite, and additive manufacturing is successfully used in many areas of mechanical engineering, including the aviation and space industries, where 3D-printed engine parts are quickly becoming commonplace. It's all about 3D printing methods such as selective laser sintering (SLS) and deposition welding (SLM). These methods allow you to create high-precision parts, consisting entirely of metals and alloys.

Fine powders are used as raw materials, which are heated almost to the melting point and then sintered or alloyed along the given contours using ultra-precise lasers. Although there were initially some doubts about the strength of such products, numerous experiments dispelled fears: the density of the parts obtained is almost the same as cast counterparts, and the ability to manufacture the most complex components as a whole makes it possible to avoid the formation of weak zones that usually appear at the site of welds.

3D printed engine parts, up to injectors, are already being used on SpaceX devices, Airbus is actively and successfully testing 3D printed engine parts and supporting structures of airliners, and 3D printed swirlers created by the All-Russian Research Institute of Aviation can be considered a domestic example. Materials (VIAM) for promising PD-14 engines currently undergoing flight tests.

Industrial Design

Although complex, expensive metal-printing systems are used to make motors, plastic 3D printers are the most used in industry. They are used not so much for the manufacture of finished products as prototypes. Initially, 3D printing technology was called so - rapid prototyping. 3D printers make it possible to produce high-precision prototype parts, gadget cases, architectural models, and even shoes. Finished products not only serve for visual visualization, but also allow you to try on the components to be assembled. The latter option is used by the developers of the Armata tanks. Because prototyping requires no tooling, and the design itself can be quickly digitally modified and reprinted, 3D printing for prototyping results in significant time and cost savings in R&D.

At the same time, 3D printing is for all ages. While serious engineers are designing tanks and aircraft, their young colleagues are increasingly using 3D printing to teach modeling and design skills. Inexpensive user-level 3D printers are increasingly being used in schools and clubs, and youth creativity centers are being created throughout Russia, where future engineers can try out additive manufacturing technologies on their own.

Guns

Of course, 3D printing hasn't gone unnoticed by gun enthusiasts either, causing a lot of headaches for regulators around the world. It all started with the Liberator project by an American gun fighter named Cody Wilson. A simple plastic gun can be printed on any home 3D printer, the only metal element is a nail used as a striker, and the likelihood of an explosion and resulting injury to the shooter is higher than the chance of a successful shot.

It turned out to be almost impossible to fight the distribution of free files with a 3D model of a pistol, but these were just flowers. Berries followed in the form of a 3D-printed receiver for AR-15 automatic carbines - the actual analogues of the M-16 assault rifle, which is in service with the United States and many other countries of the world. The fact is that it is the lower part of the receiver that is subject to registration and accounting, since the serial number is stamped on it, and all other parts can be bought at any weapons store. The box, on the other hand, does not carry high loads, and it is quite possible to print it from plastic, and then assemble an unaccounted for, unregistered rifle. Gun printing quickly fell under a local ban, and the aforementioned MarkForged company even refused to sell Cody their printer that prints with high-strength composites.

Although, sometimes there are quite legal projects, such as fully functional 3D printed replicas of the Colt 1911 pistol, released in a limited edition by the Texas arms company Solid Concepts. Be that as it may, 3D printing of weapons in Russia will result in at least a criminal article for illegal storage and distribution, and therefore the experience of Cody Wilson should not be adopted.

Jewelry

What about fake weapons? This option is allowed by law and is quite affordable even on household 3D printers. And not only weapons, but also all kinds of armor, jewelry and accessories. From glowing "plasma" swords from the popular game Halo to full-fledged Star Wars stormtrooper costumes, cosplay fans create the most colorful examples illustrating the possibilities of 3D printing.

In fact, MakerBot founder Bree Pettis demonstrated the feasibility of large-scale 3D printing with the Replicator Z18 3D printer in the most graphic way possible - wearing a fully printed helmet on his head in front of an audience of enthusiastic printers.

But with the help of 3D printing, you can create not only toy decorations, but also real ones. Jewelers around the world are increasingly turning to 3D modeling and printing blanks, on the basis of which molds are made for casting precious metal jewelry. For such projects, high-precision stereolithographic printers are used, printing with resins that harden under the influence of lasers or light projectors.

3D Printers

Finally, 3D printers can print… 3D printers! Among the makers there is a term "RepRap", which stands for something like "self-replicating 3D printer". In fact, the simplest 3D printer is nothing more than a numerically controlled machine - a set of rails, bearings, mounts and printheads controlled by a relatively simple computer controller.

Many of the structural elements (mounts, legs, corners and even printhead housings) are made of plastic, so why not print them on another 3D printer? This is exactly what real makers do, and many of the leading companies like MakerBot, Ultimaker or the Russian PICASO grew out of such home-made projects and still use 3D printed parts in the design of their branded printers.

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