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Porsche
Porsche Classic spare parts
Spare part Porsche 911 Speedster, Porsche Classic 3D printing, 2018, Porsche AG.
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Porsche
Porsche Classic spare parts
Crank arm Porsche 964, Porsche Classic 3D printing, 2018, Porsche AG.
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Porsche
Porsche Classic spare parts
Filler cap seal Porsche 959, Porsche Classic 3D printing, 2018, Porsche AG.
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Porsche
Porsche Classic spare parts
Spare part Porsche 356 B and 356 C, Porsche Classic 3D printing, 2018, Porsche AG.
Porsche, the German automotive manufacturer, has revealed its use of 3D printing to manufacture spare parts for its classic car division.
This family of automobiles, Porsche Classic, includes around 52,000 different parts that can be replaced on-demand, and such is the rarity of some of the cars, are often scarce. For those parts that are well-stocked, there’s tool and storage costs to consider. The company’s incorporation of Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) technologies is providing a solution to these challenges.
Typically, parts required in large quantities are manufactured with new tools, but for smaller batches this would be largely inefficient, per Porsche. Evaluating potential manufacturing alternatives, Porsche settled on additive manufacturing, harnessing SLM for metal parts and SLS for plastic ones.
The first application of these methods was to reproduce the release lever for the clutch on the Porsche 959. There were only 292 of this model of car produced during the 1980s and 1990s, and the release lever for the clutch is no longer available because of so little demand. Since the part is made from grey cast iron and is subject to very high requirements, Porsche utilised SLM. A 0.1mm thick layer of powdery tool steel was applied to the processing plate in a computerised process, and in an inert atmosphere, a high-energy light beam melted the powder in the desired locations, and the part was built layer by layer. After the build, the part was put through a pressure test, whereby it withstood almost three tonnes of weight, and a tomographic examination to look for internal faults. Both were passed ‘with flying colours’, and so extensive practical testing was also carried out to confirm the quality and function of the lever.
The success of this application of 3D printing has encourages Porsche to commence the additive manufacture of eight other parts. Porsche Classic is also conducting tests into another 20 components to work out whether 3D printing is a suitable method of manufacture. All these parts must match the quality and performance of the original parts as an absolute minimum – Porsche says the 3D printed versions usually meet higher standards. Accuracy of size and fit is ensured through practical tests with the part installed, and depending on the area of application, plastic parts must be resistant to oils, fuels, acids and light.
