Each wheel is less than 20 pounds in weight
HRE, a leading aftermarket manufacturer of wheels, launched its HRE3D+ series titanium 3D-printed wheels in November 2013. This was developed in collaboration with GE Additive. The two companies have redesigned the wheels and showcase the results on a stunning purple 2019 Ford GT.
HRE explains that it was able to access two 3D printing manufacturing machines thanks to GE Additive, and was able to test the second generation of the wheels. Laser technology is used to melt layers of titanium powder over each other, gradually building complex forms. Then there’s an improvement process.
HRE managed to dramatically reduce material waste for the new series 3D-printed wheels. It went from around 80 percent to only five percent. The finished wheel is also significantly lighter than the previous generation. This is a significant difference of up to 4 pounds. A 20-inch HRE3D+ wheel weighs in at about 20 pounds (9 kg) versus 16 pounds (7 kg) for the second-gen.
The company’s previous 3D-printed wheels had six pieces, while the new ones are made up of five sections. This is possible due to the redesign of the center area. The wheels have been designed to reduce the unsprung mass and the rotational inertia.
HRE President and CEO Alan Peltier comments, “We are proud to be breaking new ground with the updated HRE3D+ wheel,” “Working with GE Additive gave us access to cutting-edge technology. We’re now exploring the future and collaborating with tools that will evolve over the next few decades. We are excited to see what the future holds.