Skip to main content

Porsche Classic Turns to 3D Printing for Extremely Rare Replacement Parts

Porsche is the latest automaker to take advantage of 3D printing technology.

Collectors of rare classic cars have probably heard it before: “The part is no longer available.” Porsche Classic, the division of Porsche dedicated to classic vehicles, knows how frustrating it can be to need a replacement part for a classic car and not be able to obtain it. The company is hoping to resolve that issue, at least for classic Porsche owners, by using 3D printing to produce extremely rare parts that are only needed in small quantities.

Currently, the Porsche Classic range has around 52,000 parts and if a certain spare part is no longer in stock, or stock is dwindling, it will be reproduced using the original tool. But that’s not always feasible since producing small batches using new tools would be inefficient.

Porsche used the release lever for the clutch on the Porsche 959 as an example. The component is made from grey cast iron, which is subject to very high-quality requirements but is in very low demand since only 292 of those sports cars were ever produced.

[See image gallery at www.vwvortex.com]

This is where 3D printing comes in, with a layer of powdery tool steel less than 0.1 millimeters thick applied to a processing plate in a computerized process.

“In an inert atmosphere, a high-energy light beam then melts the powder in the desired locations to create a steel layer,” Porsche explained. “Thus, the complete three-dimensional component is produced, layer by layer. Both the pressure test with a load of almost three tonnes and the subsequent tomographic examination for internal faults were passed by the printed release lever with flying colors. The practical tests with the lever installed in a test vehicle and extensive driving tests confirm the impeccable quality and function of the component.”

The German automaker is currently manufacturing eight other parts using 3D printing technology, with steel and alloy parts produced using the selective laser melting process, while plastic components are manufactured with an SLS printer. Porsche Classic is evaluating whether 3D printing is suitable for the production of another 20 components, all of which could be produced on demand if needed.

A version of this article first appeared on AutoGuide

The post Porsche Classic Turns to 3D Printing for Extremely Rare Replacement Parts appeared first on VWVortex.



from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2BrKEyA
via IFTTT
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: Saying Goodbye to the CC V6

For all its size and its global reach, Volkswagen is still, in many ways, a deeply human company. There was, for instance, the Bugatti Veyron an ego project if ever there was one. Then the purchase of Ducati, a move most called folly. And then there was the Phaeton, the Volkswagen that most folks can’t afford. Not only were these moves all strange, I’m sure that they made VW’s accountants furious. None of them made good business sense, but they were all deeply interesting and they all are evidence of the heart that beats at the center of VW. Among these follies is the CC, a car that everyone agrees is rakishly handsome, but that no one really wanted to buy. The car couldn’t last, but the world is brighter for its having been in it. With the approach debut of the Arteon, it seems like a good time to look back on its sadly departing predecessor. The version I drove, because I live in Canada, is a V6 Wolfsburg Edition, which apparently isn’t available in the States. Nor is the V6, not as
Post a Comment
Read more

Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway

Waterfest 24 will be held at Atco Dragway, in Atco, New Jersey. The summer event will take place at its new venue on July 21 and 22. Long held in Englishtown, New Jersey, the festival has been such a large part of the VW scene that the latest iteration of the Golf even comes with optional “Englishtown” wheels . The new venue, however, is an NHRA drag track a scant 52 miles southwest of Englishtown. The ¼ mile drag track opened in 1960, which makes it the oldest drag strip in New Jersey. The announcement came today on a social media post that announced the new location. Waterfest is North America’s largest VW/Audi show. As many 20,000 people show up for the annual show, making the second largest show in the world—with Worthersee being number one. 2018 will be Waterfest’s 24 th year in existence. The post Waterfest Moves to Atco Dragway appeared first on VWVortex . from VWVortex http://ift.tt/2GQjkuc via IFTTT
Post a Comment
Read more

Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan

Filed under: Government/Legal , Green , Mitsubishi , Fuel Efficiency , Japan Mitsubishi says its shady fuel-economy test practices may have been used on all vehicles it sells and has sold in Japan. Continue reading Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan Mitsubishi admits it lied about MPG ratings for all vehicles in Japan originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 11 May 2016 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments from Autoblog Volkswagen http://ift.tt/21X3bHv
Post a Comment
Read more