Rodin Cars 3D prints 8-speed sequential gearbox

A few weeks ago, Rodin Cars, a New Zealand-based manufacturer of high-performance racing cars, acquired the DMP Factory 500 from 3D Systems. It is a 3D metal printer capable of producing up to 500mm x 500mm x 500mm size. my topic? Produce parts for the soon-to-be-marketed Rodin F-Zero supercar. We can say that the days when 3D printing was only used for prototyping are long gone. In fact, the manufacturer recently announced 3D printing of 8-speed sequential gearbox.

3D printed hydraulic differential gearbox

Innovations in the 3D printing sector now allow the design and production of components that would otherwise be difficult to produce using traditional methods. We can mention for example DM3D which recently launched a new giant machine capable of producing 3-meter-long pieces.

Today it is the turn of the race car maker Rodin’s cars To make it with his new production. The New Zealand automaker is known to use mineral additive manufacturing technology from 3D Systems for It produces hundreds of custom parts for its futuristic supercarRodin F Zero. After purchasing DMP Factory 500 from 3D SystemsAnd Rodin’s cars managed to produce a 8-speed sequential gearbox, the first of its kind.

The company produces high-performance open-wheel single-seater cars designed to be faster than current Formula 1 cars. gear box in a Titanium 3D printing, manufactured at DMP Factory 500 of 3D Systems, he have hydraulic differential It is advertised as:

• built
• Light, only 68 kg
• Solid
• solid.

according to David Decker, Founder Rodin’s cars :

With the Rodin FZERO gearbox, we had specific standards that we wanted to meet in terms of weight and durability. Due to the size and quality required for such a large component, it can only be printed on 3D Systems’ DMP Factory 500. We were unable to find another supplier capable of offering a similar solution to our needs: print quality, volume capacity, testing facilities in Leuven and ongoing technology support.

3D printing, a trend in the automotive sector

Additive manufacturing, also called 3D printing, enables production 3D parts of CAD models. Principle: Deposit the material layer by layer until the whole part is made. In recent years, the additive manufacturing process of finished parts has gained momentum in the automotive sector.

More and more manufacturers began to rely on 3D printing for Reduce manufacturing times and costs modern vehicles. But the main goal of most of these manufacturers is to reduce the overall weight of the vehicles.

For example, the 3D Systems and Alpine F1 team has successfully developed the Accura Composite PIV, a new material for Improve wind tunnel productivity. The use of this new material helps aerodynamics in particular to better understand the aerodynamic properties of the wind tunnel model. This would make it possible to put lighter, faster racing cars on the right track.