[HRE_Wheels]

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HRE WHEELS PARTNERS WITH GE ADDITIVE TO CREATE FIRST 3D-PRINTED TITANIUM WHEEL
HRE and GE Additive’s AddWorks team have used Electron Beam Melting (EBM) technology to create a new prototype wheel made from an advanced titanium powder, unveiling the first automotive wheel to be made with this process.

Vista, Calif. (November, 2018) – HRE Wheels and GE Additive announced a partnership agreement today and unveiled the first titanium wheel created using EBM technology (a type of 3D printing). Known as “HRE3D+”, this new prototype wheel shows what the future of wheel technology will bring and how advanced materials like titanium can be harnessed to create complex designs.

The goal of the “HRE3D+” project was to test the capabilities of additive manufacturing in a practical application and to create a highly-sophisticated wheel design with an elusive material like titanium. With a traditional aluminum Monoblok wheel, 80% of material is removed from a 100-pound forged block of
aluminum to create the final product. With additive manufacturing, only 5% of the material is removed and recycled, making the process far more efficient. Titanium also has a much higher specific strength than aluminum and is corrosion resistant, allowing it to be extremely lightweight and to be shown in its raw finish.

There was an intensive design collaboration between the Vista, California based team at HRE and the GE AddWorks team out of Ohio. Using design queues from two existing models of HRE wheels, the two companies worked together to create a stunning example of what is possible with additive manufacturing.

The wheel was produced on two Arcam EBM machines - Q20 and a Q10 in five separate sections,, then combined using a custom center section and titanium fasteners.

"This is an incredibly exciting and important project for us as we get a glimpse into what the future of wheel design holds,” said HRE President Alan Peltier. “Working with GE Additive’s AddWorks team gave us access to the latest additive technology and an amazing team of engineers, allowing us to push the boundaries of wheel design beyond anything possible with current methods. To HRE, this partnership with GE Additive moves us into the future.”

“HRE prides itself on its commitment to excellence and superior quality in the marketplace. It was a natural fit for AddWorks to work on this project with them and really revolutionize the way wheels can be designed and manufactured,” said Robert Hanet, senior design engineer, GE Additive AddWorks


EBM Printing: 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.


Titanium Powder Bed: 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.


Powder Recovery: The excess titanium powder is removed to reveal the final design and recycled for future parts.



Support Removal: 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.


Post Machining: 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.


Hand Finishing: 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.


Cleaning: Due to the minimal machining and finishing, cleaning is a simple process simply to remove any oils or remaining powder.


Assembly: All the parts were hand-assembled into a carbon-fiber rim barrel using titanium fasteners.



























The “HRE3D+” wheel will be on display from November 13-16 on GE Additive’s booth (D30) at the form next tradeshow in Frankfurt, Germany. For more information on HRE Wheels, visit https://www.hrewheels.com/wheels/concepts/hre3d

About HRE Performance Wheels:
HRE designs, engineers and manufactures 3-piece and 1-piece forged aluminum alloy wheels for Racing, Performance & Luxury cars and SUVs in their San Diego, California-based, TÜV-approved facility. HRE’s built-to-order wheel sets offer a customized choice of offsets, widths and finishes, resulting in a uniquely personal style and performance solution for each customer’s application. HRE wheels are sold through select high-end car dealerships, specialty retailers and performance companies worldwide. For more information, visit www.hrewheels.com or call an HRE wheel expert at (760) 598-1960.


About GE Additive:
GE Additive – part of GE (NYSE: GE) is a world leader in additive design and manufacturing, a pioneering process that has the power and potential to transform businesses. Through our integrated offering of AddWorks additive experts, advanced machines and quality materials, we empower our customers to build innovative new products. Products that solve manufacturing challenges, improve business outcomes and help change the world for the better. GE Additive includes additive machine providers Concept Laser and Arcam EBM; along with additive material provider AP&C. EBM machines create dimensionally accurate parts quickly and efficiently by using a high-power electron beam for high melting capacity and productivity. The EBM process takes place in vacuum and at high temperature, resulting in stress-relieved components with material properties better than cast and comparable to wrought material.

[stevenvillatoro]

Bundled with a set of robotic elves to clean brake dust from the innumerable nano-nooks and crannies?

[IanMan]

Incredible! How much does this wheel weigh?

[GOLFFRR]

futuristic indeed. very cool

[Suds]

How many Bitcoins is that?

[Viffermike]

Nifty exercise in structural tech that plainly has practical applications ...

... but seriously: Good luck keeping those clean.

Does anyone else think it's ironic that a Swedish tech company is making wheels for a company with the Swiss cross in its logo -- and that its test-mule car is British?

#EUThatStinks

[Kreester]

Swedish tech company making HRE wheels? What company is it?

[gabriel.psd]

Originally Posted by Kreester

Swedish tech company making HRE wheels? What company is it?

It’s in the post. GE Additive.

[Curt2000]

Originally Posted by Suds

How many Bitcoins is that?

LoL, these wheels are so futuristic they can only be designed by AI and sold via Bitcoin

[Blksnowflake]

No, just because cleaning will be a punch in the balls and hurt my back and no one will be able to repeatedly clean them to my standards.

Look nice though.

[glennQNYC]

I sure love me some titanium, but I question how strong a printed wheel is. I'm guessing not as strong as a forged billet wheel.

[GuidoK]

Thats one freaky looking wheel.
It's certainly a design thats only possible with 3d printing.

[Wolf 335]

Cool wheel.

Curious if clear coat will be an option in order to fill in all those porous surfaces, because once brake dust bakes in there...

What is the cost for a set of 4?

[1MOREMOD]

Crazy looking, belongs on a transformer. Hard to believe they are strong enough given the design.

[HRE_Wheels]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

I sure love me some titanium, but I question how strong a printed wheel is. I'm guessing not as strong as a forged billet wheel.

Incorrect actually, the strength and stiffness more than meet HRE standards. Titanium being used here has a tensile strength 3 times that of T6-6061. I won't go much into detail but the most important thing to know is that it exceeds our standards currently so this is certainly a viable option in the future.

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Cool wheel.

Curious if clear coat will be an option in order to fill in all those porous surfaces, because once brake dust bakes in there...

What is the cost for a set of 4?

No pricing because this is a concept, the first of it's kind. We're not looking to mass produce this wheel.

Originally Posted by 1MOREMOD

Crazy looking, belongs on a transformer. Hard to believe they are strong enough given the design.

But they certainly are!

[glennQNYC]

Originally Posted by HRE_Wheels

[SIZE="3"]Incorrect actually, the strength and stiffness more than meet HRE standards. Titanium being used here has a tensile strength 3 times that of T6-6061. I won't go much into detail but the most important thing to know is that it exceeds our standards currently so this is certainly a viable option in the future. [/size]

Thanks for the reply. Would you mind clarifying a bit?

Are you saying a printed wheel is just as strong as forged billet wheel of the same material? Or are you saying that because titanium is stronger than 6061, you can print titanium and still retain enough strength? In other words... is HRE using titanium to make up for the weaker method of printing a wheel?

[HRE_Wheels]

Originally Posted by glennQNYC

Thanks for the reply. Would you mind clarifying a bit?

Are you saying a printed wheel is just as strong as forged billet wheel of the same material? Or are you saying that because titanium is stronger than 6061, you can print titanium and still retain enough strength? In other words... is HRE using titanium to make up for the weaker method of printing a wheel?

The tensile strength of the Titanium used is 3 times that of T6-6061 aluminum. There are pros and cons for both Titanium and for T6-6061 aluminum, but ultimately this wheel in terms of it's stiffness and strength far exceeds our current standards.

[Red Bread]

Just curious how many man hours one of those took vs a standard wheel?

[HRE_Wheels]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Just curious how many man hours one of those took vs a standard wheel?

The actual 3D printing of a single wheel took a few days, so a full set would take about a week roughly.

Machining time of our most simplistic design that we make (like a Classic series), can be machined in about an hour and a half.

Additive manufacturing has it's benefits, but speed isn't one of them the moment when comparing to machining a wheel out of a forging for the time being. I'm sure with technological advances those times are going to start coming down. Also once machines get large enough to print an entire wheel I'm sure that will help significantly too since we had to make this wheel in 5 separate pieces, then bolted together.

[NCThreePedals]

These wheels do not fit the P1 at all in my opinion, that car has many soft and flowy lines whereas the wheels have very sharp and jagged lines

Cool concept and you can tell how much workmanship and art went into these, very cool!

[1MOREMOD]

Reminds me of tourbillon watch. Dont like those.

[Drop the hammer]

Would be suited to a car that’s more of a work of art, like Pagoni...or along those lines anyways. Not really a sports car style wheel. Although these sure do illustrate the unlimited 3D designs that can be possible. And on a carbon barrel no less. Wow!