The BWT Alpine F1 team has turned to Metal Additive Manufacturing (AM) to enhance the performance of their cars by producing fully functional titanium hydraulic accumulators with a minimal footprint.
The BWT Alpine F1 team has been working with 3D Systems for several years for collaborative supply and development.Making its debut in 2021, the team, whose drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon finished 10th and 11th respectively last season, chose 3D Systems’ direct metal printing (DMP) technology to produce complex parts.
Alpine continuously improves its cars, improving and improving performance in very short iteration cycles.Ongoing challenges include working within the limited available space, keeping part weight as low as possible, and complying with changing regulatory constraints.
Experts from 3D Systems’ Applied Innovation Group (AIG) provided the F1 team with the expertise to manufacture complex coiled components with challenging, function-driven internal geometries in titanium.
Additive manufacturing offers a unique opportunity to overcome the challenges of fast-paced innovation by delivering highly complex parts with short lead times.For components like Alpine’s hydraulic accumulators, a successful part requires additional additive manufacturing expertise due to design complexity and stringent cleanliness requirements.
For the accumulators, specifically the rear suspension fluid inertia coil, the racing team designed a hard-wired damper that is part of the rear suspension damper in the rear suspension system in the transmission main box.
An accumulator is a long, rigid tube that stores and releases energy to average pressure fluctuations.AM enables Alpine to maximize the length of the damping coil while packing a complete functionality in a limited space.
“We designed the part to be as volumetrically efficient as possible and to share wall thickness between adjacent tubes,” explained Pat Warner, senior digital manufacturing manager for the BWT Alpine F1 team. “Only AM can achieve this.”
The final titanium damping coil was produced using 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350, a high-performance metal AM system with an inert printing atmosphere.The unique system architecture of 3D Systems’ DMP machines ensures parts are robust, precise, chemically pure, and have the repeatability needed to produce parts.
During operation, the damping coil is filled with fluid and averages pressure fluctuations within the system by absorbing and releasing energy.To function properly, fluids have cleanliness specifications to avoid contamination.
Designing and producing this component using metal AM offers considerable advantages in terms of functionality, integration into larger systems, and weight savings.3D Systems offers a software called 3DXpert, an all-in-one software for preparing, optimizing and managing metal printing workflows.
The BWT Alpine F1 team chose the LaserForm Ti Gr23 (A) material for its batteries, citing its high strength and ability to precisely produce thin-walled sections as the reasons for its choice.
3D Systems is a partner for hundreds of critical applications in industries where quality and performance are paramount.The company also provides technology transfer to help customers successfully adopt additive manufacturing in their own facilities.
Following the success of the BWT Alpine F1 team’s titanium-printed accumulators, Warner said the team is encouraged to pursue more complex suspension components in the coming year.