The refurbishment of classic racing car engines is extremely time-consuming and costly. Needless to say it is also very challenging technically. But what used to take a year can now be done in weeks thanks to state-of-the-art technology. A good example is evidenced by the new production of the two cylinder heads for the V-engine of the classic racing car the Ferrari 312P. Design hurdles were leapt over quickly with reverse engineering using mobile measurement arms to automatically generate the required three-dimensional data and 3D printing…
As ever, 3D data was the starting point for the work performed at the voxeljet service centre, where this case study was realised. The company’s industrial grade, high-precision 3D printers created seven sand components, one each for the upper and lower box, and five sand cores, to create the entirety of the cast. The subsequent casing process was carried out by metal foundry Wilhelm Funke in Alfeld an der Leine. The foundry was reportedly surprised by the quality and precision of the sand moulds from the voxeljet 3D printer.
According to Dr. Ingo Ederer The CEO of voxeljet, Reverse engineering with 3D printing is by far the most efficient method for reproducing components that are no longer available. Often, it is the only way to reproduce certain components quickly and at reasonable cost.
The advanced aluminium alloy cylinder heads have been cast and subsequent post-processing work has already been completed, so, soon, the Ferrari 312P will once again be making appearances at racing events.
