Recently, Roush made use of a study to learn more about the shape, and needs of an engine to ensure the most efficient operation.
As a company that takes the basic cars that automakers offer and pumps them full of aggression, power, and performance, Roush has the distinct challenge of not only working to make sure the car that’s produced from their efforts has more power and more of what we want when it’s time to get on the road, they also face the challenge of meeting emissions regulations.
Using CAD, 3D Printing, and Advanced Machinery
The Roush team was able to learn more about how the engine produced emissions and how to make the combustion even more advanced by slicing and studying an engine while making changes to the design, the shape of the cylinders, and the process of the engine, especially at higher heat and output levels. The idea was to learn about the use of additives and what the engine could produce if specific parts were changed simply and created in a way that hadn’t been tried or studied by the team in the past.
Good Old Investigative Work
One of the problems the team faced during the testing and the study was that there was a leak. It was easy enough to find the leak, but the reason for the leak wouldn’t register with the automated systems to give an idea as to what the problem was. Thankfully, the experienced Roush team was able to figure out the problem and realized that part of the engine cylinder needed to be reinforced with a much better weld than it had. After adding a clean weld to the area and cleaning it up, the team went back and tested the pressure to see that it was what they needed.
Testing Going Well
During the testing of the cylinder head shape the engine was put through a 50-hour durability test at peak power. The engine performed so well that the team eventually shut it off because they couldn’t make the cylinder break or bend in any way. After the performance test, the team disassembled the engine to see if the additives or shape had any effect on the parts and found that nothing was out of the ordinary, signaling a successful test of a cylinder that can be printed and used.
This Team Learns
Because Roush is often the team that customers will turn to for the upgrade of engines, the addition of performance parts, and the feeling of speed, they need to learn as much as they can when using 3D printing for the parts they develop. While some of the technology and programming used is still young and new, the testing of a 3D printed cylinder and cylinder head could make it possible for Roush to custom make more parts and find ways to pull even more performance out of the cars they upgrade for their customers.
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