Additive Manufacturing Case Study: Metal 3D Printing of a Wankel Engine Model

Summary The paper presents a case study on additive manufacturing, focusing on metal three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, to produce intricate components and assemblies required for constructing a demonstration model of the Wankel engine. After creating a digital 3D model, Studio System TM was used to print 3D physical parts. For the metal 3D printing process, 17-4 PH stainless steel, a high-performance material provided by Desktop Metal, was selected. The 3D printing process, which involves printing, debinding, and sintering, was photo documented. The Wankel engine was assembled using sintered 3D-printed parts, and the porosity of the material was tested by injecting fuel. The results demonstrated that the material used for the engine model was fuel-tight, thus validating the precision and effectiveness of the metal 3D printing process in producing highly complex operational parts.