3D Printed Pistons Deliver High Performance

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Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik GmbH

From Powder to Performance

The starting material used to 3D print the pistons is a powder developed by Mahle. But not all powders are the same. The powder's particle size distribution, particle shape, chemical composition and porosity inside the powder particle are examples of properties which can influence component quality. The fact that the powder's properties can change each time it is reused must be taken into account, and deviations need to be detected in a manner that is appropriate for the production process. For example, if the powder's particle size distribution changes as a result of repeated use, the quality of the applied powder layer may be affected, and simultaneously the risk of pores forming as a result, or of other component defects arising, may increase dramatically.

Light microscopes, scanning electron microscopes and X-ray computed tomography from Zeiss are used to analyse the quality of the powder before and after piston production, and the microstructure of the finished component is tested in order to identify defects or property characteristics. Through further processing of the analysis data and additional evaluation processes, it is possible to determine optimized settings for printing. Successful print results must also go through a variety of post-processing steps to ensure that the material and component properties are optimal.

During process development, for example, the component's structure can be inspected using specially equipped scanning electron microscopes or X-ray computed tomography before and after the heat treatment processes. To analyse the impact of individual production steps on the final quality of the component, an optical 3D scanner or industrial computed tomography are used in addition to a coordinate measuring machine.

The ability to combine these procedures is a decisive factor. The pistons still on the print bed were scanned using a 3D scanner. Once they are removed from the bed, the individual production steps as well as the internal structures can be inspected using computed tomography while defect analysis is performed at the same time. At the end, a final measurement is performed with the coordinate measuring machine. The core capability of Zeiss' comprehensive quality assurance process is the linking of all data across the various analyses.

"All in all what we get in process development is a quality assurance process which is complete and interlinked across its various parts. From this, we are then able to obtain the information necessary for ensuring component quality and for a future economical quality assurance concept," explains Dr. Bernhard Wiedemann, Director Additive Manufacturing Process & Control, Carl Zeiss Industrielle Messtechnik.

Put it to the Test

Now the 3D printed pistons must head to the test stand and prove themselves in the GT2 RS engine. In a 200-hour endurance run on the test stand, the components are subjected to 24 hours of high-speed driving, 135 hours of full load and 25 hours of towing load at various engine speeds, non-stop. "If 3D printed components can withstand loads such as these, it is possible to conceive of 3D printing many other automobile parts as well," says Ickinger enthusiastically.

"Even though we simulated everything, to see the pistons work without any problems on the test stand — that makes me very proud," adds Volker Schall, Head of Product Design at Mahle International. In the end, the results impressed many more people than just the engineers. All of the pistons passed the demanding tests without a single failure. A clear sign that the quality assurance process works properly.

Trailblazer in Additive Manufacturing

Additive manufacturing offers enormous potential for optimized and new components. Combustion engines, for example, can be improved and made more environmentally-friendly. But there are also many opportunities to use these production methods in e-mobility as well.

"We've done pioneering work in additive manufacturing with this project," says Dr. Wiedemann about the collaboration with Porsche, Mahle and Trumpf. "The resulting process in which the pistons are manufactured and at the same time the quality is analysed and ensured across the entire production process is one of a kind."

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