Through its brand partnership with GE Additive, HRE gained access to two unique 3D printing manufacturing systems for the second generation of the HRE3D+ concept.
"We’re proud to be breaking new ground in wheel manufacturing with the updated HRE3D+ wheels. Our partners at GE Additive have given us access to some truly cutting-edge technology, and we’re exploring the future of wheel technology together with tools that will continue to evolve over the next few years. We can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish next."Download Press Release
HRE’s experience with these cutting-edge technologies in the development of the second-generation HRE3D+ has prompted significant refinements in the technique, opening up exciting possibilities for future advancement, including the additive manufacturing of one-piece wheel centers.
DMLM metal machines use lasers to melt layers of fine metal powder and create complex metal 3D geometries with incredible precision directly from a CAD file.
Electron Beam Melting is an additive technology that uses and electron beam to melt and fuse fine layers of titanium powder into a solid. These fine layers are built up one at a time to create the full design.
The additive design is built up in a bed of fine titanium powder which results in very little wasted material, unlike traditional subtractive methods like machining from a solid forging.
A process in which excess loose powder is removed by vacuum within the machine as a secondary internal procedure.
The excess titanium powder is removed to reveal the final design and recycled for future parts.
Integrated structural supports are printed along with the part, supporting overhangs and controlling thermal distortion. The part is removed from the build plate manually by cutting or machining along base of supports.
Temporary internal support structures are printed along with the part to provide support to the structure and to facilitate extremely complex designs. These are removed by hand and recycled after printing.
Mating surfaces and threads were CNC machined post-printing to ensure tight tolerances of assembly. Compared to traditional machining from forgings, this post-processing is minimal.
The tops of the spokes were hand brushed to create a beautiful decorative finish. Because Titanium has excellent corrosion resistance, no additional powder-coat or clear-coat was necessary.
Due to the minimal machining and finishing, cleaning is a simple process simply to remove any oils or remaining powder.
All the parts were hand-assembled into a carbon-fiber rim barrel using titanium fasteners.
