Additive Manufacturing for product improvement at Red Bull Technology

In Formula 1 racing, there is a strong motive for reducing component weight and thereby improving efficiency. This paper demonstrates the advantages Additive Manufacturing brings to the production of hydraulic components. The Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) production technique enables weight reductions to be attained by its geometric design freedom coupled with this material's attributes. The use of EOS Titanium Ti64 material for hydraulic components has been assessed by a hydraulic soak test at 25 MPa and no significant losses or failure occurred. The benefits to the efficiency of hydraulic flow have been measured using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and the use of DMLS manufactured geometry has improved flow characteristics by 250% over that of the currently used techniques of manufacturing channels and bores. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.