Voxeljet
Voxeljet has used its binder jetting technology to provide 3D printed moulds to a student focus electric motorcycle project at ETH Zurich.
Students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have developed the ETH Electric Cruiser (ethec) with a focus on increasing the efficiency of electric motorcycles via the recovery of braking energy and a modified battery design.
The students assembled a total of 1,269 lithium-ion round cells with a total output of 15 kWh and then used computer-aided flow simulations to create the optimal structure of the battery housing which had to be leak-proof and ensure perfect contact between individual cells and the flow of silicone oil. Because of the size of the electric housing, Direct Metal Laser Sintering was ruled out as the means of production, and with the Group Manager wanting to “show the students the way from prototype to series production,” they decided to use metal casting with a printed sand mould.
Using the digital CAD data of the battery housing, Voxeljet deployed its binder jetting 3D printing technology to produce a sand mould which would form the template for casting an aluminium-copper alloy. Here, a few micrometre-thin layer quartz sand and jetted binder were alternately layered on top of each other until the specified geometry of the later component was printed with high precision. The ethec battery housing was then cast in Kupral Spa’s aluminium foundry in Brescia, Italy.
Practical testing of the ethec prototype is still pending, but the group is confident the e-motorcycle will be able to reach a maximum of 160 km/h and, because of the recuperation and novel battery concept, achieve a range of around 400km. The search for a partner for the industrial series production of ethec e-motorcycle is also still ongoing.
Want to discuss? Join the conversation on the Additive Manufacturing Global Community Discord.
Get your FREE print subscription to TCT Magazine.
