BWT Alpine F1 Team car
BWT Alpine F1 Team has turned to metal additive manufacturing (AM) to push the performance of its car by producing a titanium hydraulic accumulator with complete functionality in a minimised footprint.
BWT Alpine F1 Team has been working with 3D Systems for a number of years, for collaborative supply and development. The team, which made its debut in 2021 and had its drivers Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon finish 10th and 11th respectively last season, selected 3D Systems’ direct metal printing (DMP) technology to produce the complex part.
Alpine is continually improving its car, working in very short iteration cycles to advance and refine performance. Constant challenges include working within the limited space available, keeping part weights as low as possible and adhering to evolving regulation constraints.
Experts within 3D Systems’ Application Innovation Group (AIG) provided the F1 team with the know-how to make a complex coiled component from titanium with a challenging, function-driven internal geometry.
Additive manufacturing offers a unique opportunity to overcome the challenges of fast-paced innovation by supplying highly complex parts with short lead times. For parts like Alpine’s hydraulic accumulator, additional AM expertise was required for a successful part due to the level of design complexity and strict requirements for cleanliness.
For the accumulator, specifically a rear heave fluid inerter coil, the race team designed a hard-line damper, which is part of a rear heave damper in the rear suspension system inside the gearbox main case.
A long, rigid piece of tubing, the accumulator stores and releases energy to average out pressure fluctuations. AM enabled Alpine to maximise the length of the dampening coil while packaging complete functionality within a restricted space.
Dampening coil manufactured by 3D systems
“We designed this part to be as volumetrically efficient as possible, and to share wall thickness between adjacent tubes,” explained Pat Warner, Advanced Digital Manufacturing Manager at BWT Alpine F1 Team. “Achieving this volume is only possible with AM.”
The final titanium dampening coil was produced using 3D Systems’ DMP Flex 350, a high-performance metal AM system which has an inert printing atmosphere. The unique system architecture of 3D Systems’ DMP machines ensures strong and accurate parts with high chemical purity, and the repeatability needed for production parts.
During operation the dampening coil is filled with fluid and averages out pressure fluctuations within the system by absorbing and releasing energy. In order to function properly, the fluid has a specification for cleanliness to avoid contamination.
Using metal AM to design and produce this component offered considerable benefits in terms of functionality, integration into the larger system and weight reduction. 3D Systems provides a software called 3DXpert, which is an all-in-one software for preparing, optimising and managing the metal printing workflow.
BWT Alpine F1 Team selected LaserForm Ti Gr23 (A) material for its accumulator, citing high strength and the ability to accurately produce thin-wall sections as the reasons for its choice.
3D Systems is partner to hundreds of critical applications across industries where quality and performance are paramount. The company also offers technology transfer to help customers successfully adopt additive manufacturing within their own facilities.
Following the success of BWT Alpine F1 Team’s titanium printed accumulator, Warner says the team was encouraged to pursue more complex suspension components for the following year.
