F1 teams 3D print (laser metal sintering more specifically) their pistons these days, so I’d say at the bleeding edge of the tech you can create pretty strong parts. But indeed, anything which a consumer is likely going to be able to afford won’t be nearly as strong.
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thespcicifcocean@lemmy.world 1 day agoI think even if you have a metal 3d printer, it would still not be suitable for anything where strength of the piece is critical. Iirc, metal 3d printing basically just joins metal filings together using some kind of medium, making is no much weaker than a forged or machined piece.
stormeuh@lemmy.world 1 day ago
flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
They also are likely to rebuild and throw away with every race
stormeuh@lemmy.world 18 hours ago
No that’s been banned for a while at this point. They get allocations for components on the car, in the case of the combustion engine 3 for the season.
Pissman2020@lemmy.world 1 day ago
They use a laser to melt the top layer of a bed of metal powder, lower the bed, spread more powder, repeat. It results in a generally more porus part than cast or forged material, thus weaker, but can make otherwise impossible to manufacture geometries that can be lighter weight, which can reduce the strength requirements as well. A jesus nut is not an application you skimp on strength lol