Titanium 3D-printed wheel provides a glimpse of the future

“In a demonstration of what could be commercially possible within the near future, California-based HRE Wheels recently teamed up with GE Additive’s AddWorks team to create the first-ever titanium wheel to be 3D-printed via Electron Beam Melting. The process is said to be more efficient than traditional machining.

Electron Beam Melting involves shining an electron beam into a bed of titanium powder, selectively melting that powder to create fine successive layers of solid material that are fused together to form a single object. All the powder that isn’t melted can still be used for subsequent builds. By contrast, when parts are machined out of a solid block of titanium, much more of the material ends up being wasted.”

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