In collaboration with partners Mahle and Trumpf, highly stressed drive components, specifically pistons for the high-performance engine of the top-of-the-range 911 GT2 RS model, have now been successfully 3D-printed for the first time.
3D printing makes it possible to produce the pistons with a structure optimized for the load. As a result, the pistons from the pre-development project weigh 10% less than the forged series pistons. They also have an integrated and closed cooling channel in the piston crown, which would have been impossible to produce using conventional methods. Up to 30 hp more power from the 700 hp biturbo engine is therefore conceivable, with greater efficiency.
The printer can be fed with the design data directly from the computer. Additive manufacturing processes are therefore ideal for producing structures designed and optimized using artificial intelligence (AI). The pistons of the 911 GT2 RS were created from high-purity metal powder using the laser metal fusion (LMF) process. In this process, a laser beam heats the powder surface according to the part contour and fuses it.
