CRP Know-how, an additive manufacturing supplies and providers supplier, and CRP Meccanica, a precision machining firm, have collaborated with high-performance sports activities vehicles producer Alpine on the design and manufacture of an consumption plenum and manifold system for the Alpenglow Hy6 hydrogen-powered rolling prototype.
Alpine’s preliminary consumption configuration mixed 3D printed polymer elements with bonded aluminum flanges. Bench testing revealed sealing points attributable to variations in thermal growth between supplies, in addition to vibration and excessive thermal masses throughout turbocharged operation. These elements affected interface stability and led Alpine to revise the consumption structure to handle sealing efficiency beneath thermal and vibrational masses.
CRP Know-how, an organization specializing in additive manufacturing supplies and processes, proposed changing the hybrid meeting with a completely single-material design. The revised consumption system was produced utilizing Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Windform SP, a carbon fiber–bolstered thermoplastic developed by CRP Know-how. Solely minor design changes have been required to implement the brand new configuration. The ultimate system consists of three single-piece elements: one consumption plenum and two consumption manifolds, every with built-in flanges. Eliminating aluminum components enabled uniform materials habits beneath strain and temperature situations related to turbocharged operation.
Publish-processing operations have been utilized to satisfy purposeful and dimensional necessities. After sintering, vapor smoothing was used to optimize inside surfaces. Precision machining was then carried out by CRP Meccanica, the manufacturing division of the CRP Group, to attain correct tolerances and dependable sealing interfaces. This hybrid additive–subtractive workflow mixed SLS manufacturing with CNC machining whereas sustaining a single-material structure.
Validation testing was carried out on an engine dynamometer, the place the consumption system maintained structural integrity throughout repeated strain cycles of as much as 5 bar. Following bench validation, the elements have been put in on the Alpenglow Hy6 prototype and utilized in on-track testing. In keeping with the businesses concerned, the redesigned consumption system supported sooner improvement inside Alpine’s hydrogen powertrain programme by resolving the constraints noticed within the earlier hybrid configuration.
3D printing used to resolve iteration constraints in high-performance automobile improvement
Latest automotive prototype packages have proven how 3D printing is utilized when standard fabrication strategies decelerate iteration beneath efficiency constraints. Toyota used additively manufactured elements through the improvement of its bZ Time Assault Idea, a battery-electric motorsport prototype. Full-scale fender arches and aerodynamic parts have been digitally modeled and 3D printed to handle fitment, structural sturdiness, and packaging challenges particular to an EV platform. Toyota engineers used the strategy to iterate physique and aero elements inside tight improvement home windows, avoiding tooling delays whereas testing designs immediately on a working automobile.
The same constraint-driven workflow was reported throughout Ford’s Nürburgring testing program for the 2025 Mustang GTD. Engineers produced and evaluated 3D printed aerodynamic elements on-site to refine downforce traits throughout energetic monitor testing. A number of design iterations have been accomplished over a brief interval, permitting efficiency good points to be validated earlier than closing components have been bonded to the automobile. Ford confirmed that this speedy iteration course of was obligatory to satisfy aerodynamic targets inside restricted testing periods, demonstrating how additive manufacturing can take away iteration delays when efficiency margins are slender and testing home windows are restricted.
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Featured picture reveals Alpine Alpenglow Hy6 hydrogen prototype. Photograph through Alpine.
