Race to innovate: metal AM manifolds improve power flow for Land Rover BAR

The Land Rover BAR race yacht compared to an Airbus A320

What is your background at Renishaw?

I'm a Product Marketing Engineer specialising in additive manufacturing and I've worked at Renishaw for six years. My background is in aerospace and engineering and I joined the company first working on position encoders then moved to metal additive manufacturing about four years ago. I'm a keen yachtsman in my spare time and a true advocate of additive manufacturing, which is why I'm so proud to be part of the Land Rover BAR project.

What does Renishaw represent to you?

I believe Renishaw is summed up perfectly by its strapline ‘apply innovation'. It's a dynamic place to work because it develops innovations in manufacturing and applies them to solve real world practical problems. Additive manufacturing is a relatively new, cutting edge technology and Renishaw is the only UK manufacturer of high performance machines that 3D ‘print' working metal parts.

Why use metal AM manifolds instead of traditionally made manifolds?

Before metal 3D printing technology, all the parts in the hydraulic system would have been made using a subtractive manufacturing method. Traditionally, hydraulic block manifolds are manufactured from an aluminium alloy or stainless steel billet which has been cut and machined to size. This is followed by drilling at 90 degree angles to create the flow pathways. Specialised tooling is often needed due to the complex drilling that is required. Passages require blanking plugs to properly direct flow through the system.

The nature of the traditional manufacturing process results in abrupt angled junctions between flow paths which can cause flow separation and/or stagnation – a major contributor to efficiency loss.

What are the benefits of AM for the design and manufacture of parts? How could this benefit the Land Rover BAR team?

The abrupt angled junctions found in a traditional manifold slow down the flow of hydraulic fluid which can lead to loss of power. By using additive manufacturing technology, you can design in and build smooth rounded corners which promote the flow of fluid and improve efficiency.

Another benefit is the significant weight saving against a traditional block manifold. A traditional block manifold is produced using a subtractive process. Material must be cut away which can leave surplus, non-essential weight and an over specification wall thickness.

Additive manufacturing as its name suggests is an additive process which builds up parts layer by layer; applying material only where it is required leads to a much lighter part. We can adjust the wall thickness of the manifold so that it is fit for function rather than over specification due to the limitations of a subtractive process. The manifolds used on the boat are all customised and built in titanium to be both lightweight and strong.

Another benefit of AM is the ability to produce many iterations rapidly which is essential in the race to innovate.

You could liken the way we have been working with Land Rover BAR to that of producing parts for high-performance racing cars, with design changes ‘right to the wire'.

Could you describe the main steps in producing a metal AM manifold?

Once the manifold design is agreed it is drawn up and finalised in 3D CAD software. Land Rover BAR sends the CAD file electronically to Renishaw and we convert it to an .stl file. This is a file format which can be exported into metal additive manufacturing build preparation software. Renishaw's own build preparation software, QuantAM, is specifically for use with Renishaw high- performance metal AM systems. Using this software, the Renishaw AM team can take the virtual Land Rover BAR manifold, configure and orientate the part correctly on the build plate and apply the necessary supports. Build supports are required to bridge any gaps, support overhangs and to hold the part stable and in place as it builds up layer by layer. The Renishaw AM team use their know-how to ensure that the minimum number of supports are applied to avoid waste and to reduce the time needed to remove them.

What was the biggest challenge & what are you most proud of?

R1 is an incredibly advanced racing catamaran that pushes the boundaries of what technology can provide and it has truly been a ‘race to innovate' to turn around the optimum parts, in time for the America's Cup. The challenge has been immense and we have been operating in a similar manner to that you might imagine if working on a high-performance racing car - many design changes, demanding timescales and rapid production of parts running up to a fixed race day. I'm proud of how we have met those challenges by working as a team and that the breakthroughs that we have made to improve the boat's performance will help train and educate future generations of engineers through the work of the Land Rover BAR team.