Customized a one and only air-intake for Andy's BMW F10 535i
Customer, Andy, a BMW car fan reached out to Additive3D Asia, UnionTech’ s premium partner in Singapore, to see if they can help him to customize an air intake which he couldn’t source from any aftermarket car parts. How special in this exercise is Andy wants to maximize the space that he has to make the air-intake middle section to have a much bigger plenum to allow bigger air reser- voir for his car performance. It would be the first time for Additive3D Asia to use an UnionTech SLA 3D printer to deliver a solution like this, and Jason, the co-founder of Additive3D Asia, was very confident about it.
What does an increasing plenum volume do?
Experimental results showed that engine performance increased modestly as plenum volume was increased from 2 to 8 times engine displacement. Increasing plenum volume beyond 8 times engine displacement resulted in significant improvement in performance parameters.
Does a plenum effect increase power?
At the higher engine speeds, the increase in power with plenum size is dramatic. Peak power output increases from 54 kW for the 1.2L plenum to 63 kW for the 6.0L plenum – an increase of 17%. Of note, plenum size appears to have a greater effect on the engine speed for peak power than it did on peak torque.
The SLA 3D Printing Workflow
After understanding the customer's needs, Additive3D Asia did a lot of research and quickly made a conceptual design. After several revisions, the final design was con- firmed. Subsequently, a high-precision white ABS resin prototype was made using UnionTech Lite600 3D printer, and passed the design and assembly verification. Final- ly, using the resin prototype as a mold, the final part of the carbon fiber was complet- ed.
Advantages of UnionTech SLA Printing System
Smooth finishing
The fine laser beam used in our SLA printing system allows prototypes to obtain and smooth and realistic finish regardless of the different resins selected.
High precision and accuracy in the finest details
The small optical spot size of the laser or projector used in our SLA3D printer produces higher-resolution prototypes due to its ability to use less force on the model.
Time and Cost-Efficient
With no prerequisites, molds, and labor work, the stereolithography method not only allows for material conservation through varying print methods such as hollowing parts, but prototyping also saves costs during the mass production phase through the identification of model failures. Given these benefits, amongst others, UnionTech SLA system is the preferred fabrica- tion process to produce objects such as prototypes and molds that can facilitate the production of structures, like jewelry, that have complex geometries. With regards to compatible materials, UnionTech 3D printing technology is accompanied by different kinds of resin. These resin materials are able to print objects of varying physical and aesthetic properties.
Lite 600, The Most Powerful and Flexible SLA Printer
Lite 600 is the most popular model of UnionTech's Lite series of industrial-grade SLA printers. Thanks to its practical printing range (600 × 600 × 400 mm), it can make parts for all different applications such as automotive, aerospace, tire industry, investment casting, electronics, education, consumer products and more.
Final Product
The whole process was involved in CAD modeling and prototyping with Lite 600 indus- trial SLA 3D Printer from UnionTech. The final prototype delivered great accuracy and smooth finishing which is ideal for the next manufacturing process.
About Additive3D Asia
Since 2014, Additive3D Asia has been a known leader in Additive Manufacturing based in Singapore serving the Asia Pacific region. It offers state-of-art online 3D printing services, from on-demand production of product prototypes to short-run manufacturing of end-use parts. Additive3D Asia， offers a wide range of industrial 3D printing materials as well as high quality finishes (post processing) to meet clients’ requirements. The organization is ISO 9001:2015 certified in the provision of 3D Printing Services.
About UnionTech
Established in 2000 and headquartered in Shanghai, China, UnionTech is a leading manufacturer and solution supplier of AM (Addictive Manufacturing) in the world. With a geographical exposure in more than 40 countries. UnionTech has developed specialized international product lines and high-end cost-effective technical solutions for a wide variety of industries. In 2017, UnionTech founded a fully-owned subsidiary in Darmstadt, Germany, aiming to better provide customized industry-specific solutions to the customers in Europe. The goal of UnionTech is to meet the needs of customers and pave the way to a global success by developing innovative technologies and efficient models.
