Above: HRE3D+ second-generation 3D printed titanium wheel installed on a purple Ford GT/Image Credit: HRE Wheels
Last year in November, HRE3D+ Wheels unveiled the World’s First 3D Printed Titanium Wheel when it entered into a partnership with GE Additive. Now the company has launched the upgraded & revised second version of the 3D printed titanium wheel. This new wheel was installed on a purple Ford GT and unveiled at RAPID+TCT 2019 event.
HRE has again teamed up with GE Additive to utilize the brand’s additive manufacturing systems, like Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM) – a laser-based metal additive manufacturing technology and Electron Beam Melting (EBAM) – which uses a beam of electrons to heat and fuse raw metal materials in a vacuum.
HRE3D+’s Second-Generation 3D Printed Titanium Wheel
Above: HRE3D+ second-generation 3D printed titanium wheel/Image Credit: HRE Wheels
The California-based company explored the capabilities of 3D printing by working closely with GE Additive to create a practical application. By the association, it was able to produce a highly complex titanium wheel, which is now called as ‘HRE3D+’.
Traditionally, the wheel is manufactured by subtracting as much as 80% material from a 100-pound forged aluminium monoblock to create the final product. With additive manufacturing, only 5% of the material is removed and recycled improving the efficiency of the process. Additionally, a titanium material, which has a much higher specific strength than aluminium and is corrosion resistant, allowing it to be extremely lightweight and to be shown in its raw finish, can be used in a cost-effective way.
Above: HRE3D+ second-generation 3D printed titanium wheel is lighter than its previous version/Image Credit: HRE Wheels
The revised second-generation HRE3D+ revolutionizes the wheel manufacturing process by not only reducing overall materials waste in the process of raw titanium material by weight but also lowered the weight of the finished HRE3D+ wheel. The new wheel is significantly lighter than ever before possible.
For example, the 20 and 21-inch wheels of the first-generation HRE3D+ weighed around 9 and 10 kilograms respectively, whereas the second-generation wheel weighs only 7 and 8 kilograms respectively.
Above: HRE3D+ second-generation titanium wheel being 3D printed/Image Credit: HRE Wheels
The first HRE3D+ concept is comprised of 6 parts, including a centre cap and lug seat section holding the spokes against the vehicle. HRE further reduced weight for the second generation by redesigning the centre area to reduce the part count to 5 printed sections.
Speaking about the development of the new revised version of the 3D printed wheel, HRE President & CEO Alan Peltier said, “We’re proud to be breaking new ground in wheel manufacturing with the updated HRE3D+ wheels. Working with GE Additive has given us access to some truly cutting-edge technology, and we’re exploring the future of wheel technology together with tools that will continue to evolve over the next few years. We can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish next.”
The second-generation 3D printed titanium wheel was unveiled at the recently concluded RAPID+TCT 2019 event in Detroit, Michigan.
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