3D Printing News Unpeeled: Marine Gearboxes, 3D Printed Motors and $1.7 Million in Seed Funding

UK based Equipmake just released their Ampere-220 e-axle system. The system, which is meant for high performance electric cars, was similar to one released on the Ariel HIPERCAR. It has peak power of 220kW, a maximum motor speed of 30,000rpm and weighs just shy of 20kg with a power density of 11kW per kg. 3D Printing has been used to consolidate parts, reduce weight and get better thermal management.

Voxel has raised $1.7 million in seed funding from CincyTech to start its Cincinnati software solution for meta material & gradient component design optimization and iteration. This is a great idea but will they be able to find enough customers to fund further expansion?

The XXL3DDruck project run by the Laser Zentrum Hannover has looked at Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) to make components that weigh multiple tonnes. One component is 3 tonnes. The machine prints 3.2 kilo an hour and has a build of 3 x 4.5 m. A prototype is at marine gearbox manufacturer Reintjes and there it helps save time on skipping a molding step but may also lead to 20%  lighter marine gearboxes.