Turbo Manifold 3D Printed from Inconel Powder

[doublespaces]

Papadakis Racing prints a turbo manifold for the A90 Supra's B58, using Inconel powder. This type of 3d printing is known as SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) which uses a laser to weld layers of this metal powder two the metal below it. Really cool work here!

 

[Torgus]

Meh, it is very cool but does the cost justify it yet? On an f1 car where every ounce and everything else is crucial, sure. There is plenty of room for a welded tubular manifold or a cast. Both are much more affordable.

Obviously given all the plugs in the video and the joke that is his desk where he sits down and designs, it seems just like a bunch of marketing. Good for them.

I can see it being useful in super confined environments but this is just show.

We obviously all know what 3d printing means for the future and it's potential. This is just feels like a big marketing PR stunt to me. especially as you still have to have people hand weld it all etc. Performance is 100% the same. Just a higher cost manifold.

it will be fun when these are normally priced 3d printed aftermarket manifolds compared to hand welded, but by then we will have EVs.

 

[Jpotter]

If no one ever adapts the new process or will never trickle down to an affordable process. I see it the other way around. Yes it's more expensive for the time being but it needs people like him to adapt it for more advancements. Similar could be said about almost any cnc part. Just a more expensive process that overtime became reasonable

 

[NoGuru]

I will buy one of these printers when it becomes more affordable or I can make it myself, most likely the later.

 

[GuruAutowerks]

I've dabbled in some 3D printed plastics for test fitting parts and it really is some amazing technology. Imagine when everyone has 3D printers in their home which print anything they want at almost any material.

The metal 3D printing is extremely intriguing and in due time itl be a lot more obtainable.

 

[Torgus]

@doublespaces how much does this manifold cost vs the fullrace tubular?

Look I would be all for it if you did not have to go back and still hand weld every runner and then the collector. It also looks like you would have to mill down the entire flange that connects to the head adding at least one more machining step. Very far from 3D print and install which is the future(someday).

Is 3D printing not precise enough to have printed the EGT & EGBP bungs so they did not have to be added later? I'm guessing it is not precise enough the print the threads correctly? If that is the case why not leave cutouts for welding on the EGT/EGBP bungs instead of having to mill out each runner for the bungs and waste material after it is printed? At least you save a step/time.

 

[doublespaces]

It's likely fairly cheap from a raw materials perspective but can't be sure. The machine itself probably starts in the six figure range. Bed size may be the reason for not being one piece.

 

[NoGuru]

Threads are easy 3D printed, I do them all the time.

 

[fmorelli]

The nice part about something like this isn't really cost or whatever. Seamless welded transitions in a tubular header are no easy thing to achieve. But What really is the bees knees is the ability to build/model in something like Fusion 360, and develop and iterate from there. Handwork just doesn't have a practical equivalent. Pretty cool in this regard.

Filippo

 

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

Printed is the future, at least for prototyping. Big aerospace companies are working hard with that tech to help mature it, which ultimately should help drive prices down as things mature. Right now it's still pretty pricey but the magic happens when parts that are really impossible to make become no big deal to print. It opens up a whole new way of thinking -called DFA, or Design for Additive. Right now at VTT we use plastic for prototyping, maybe some day we can bump to metal. She is an expensive mistress though. Cool to see it being used in this industry.

Chris

 

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

It's likely fairly cheap from a raw materials perspective but can't be sure. The machine itself probably starts in the six figure range. Bed size may be the reason for not being one piece.

The bags of metal powder aren't cheap, and cleanliness is a current industry issue -can you reuse unused powder? Is it just a software change? I know of a few aero companies sorting through this, suffice to say that for now the material is costly, if you have to consider heat/cracking/etc. All interesting stuff.

 

[Chris@VargasTurboTech]

Meh, it is very cool but does the cost justify it yet? On an f1 car where every ounce and everything else is crucial, sure. There is plenty of room for a welded tubular manifold or a cast. Both are much more affordable.

Obviously given all the plugs in the video and the joke that is his desk where he sits down and designs, it seems just like a bunch of marketing. Good for them.

I can see it being useful in super confined environments but this is just show.

We obviously all know what 3d printing means for the future and it's potential. This is just feels like a big marketing PR stunt to me. especially as you still have to have people hand weld it all etc. Performance is 100% the same. Just a higher cost manifold.

it will be fun when these are normally priced 3d printed aftermarket manifolds compared to hand welded, but by then we will have EVs.

The performance differs (or should) when you have analysis showing tiny changes in geometry impacting flow, which you can change via program. On the longevity side of things a proper stress model will show concentrations that are easy to design out with a little extra print or smoother transition. You're right though, if it can be fabricated (easily) via conventional means it's just a stunt. The magic happens when you start making things that cannot (or cannot easily) be manufactured via normal mechanisms.

 

[9krpmrx8]

I could not find the timestamp but didn't he say that it cost $500.00 per pound just to print it?