3D printed Conflux oil cooler

Manufacturing

A 3D-printed, configurable transmission oil cooler from Conflux Technology has successfully completed a full-distance endurance race on a Multimatic-engineered car. Using Conflux’s configurable core platform, the transmission cooler was adapted to the programme’s specific boundary conditions and produced in just two weeks using metal additive manufacturing.

Multimatic Motorsports selected and integrated the unit for an endurance application, gaining a race-proven solution without the cost and delay of a clean-sheet design. The Conflux oil cooler used engine coolant to manage gearbox oil temperatures within a shared water circuit. In this application, it delivered approximately 20% higher heat rejection than the incumbent solution within the same packaging envelope, providing additional thermal headroom without extra space, weight or aero penalty.

The 3D-printed core incorporates highly optimised internal channels to increase heat transfer while controlling pressure drop within a compact, lightweight envelope. Conflux’s configurable design platform allows engineers to rapidly tune geometry for different gearboxes, layouts and duty cycles, reducing non-recurring engineering costs and shortening programmes’ time-to-track, without compromising durability or consistency over long stints.

The successful endurance outing adds to Conflux’s growing body of work supplying 3D-printed heat exchangers into motorsport and high-performance automotive programmes. The same configurable oil cooler architecture is now available to other OEMs and race operations seeking a step change in thermal capacity and packaging without a complete cooling-system redesign.

www.confluxtechnology.com

 

 

Related Articles
Why manufacturing supply chain leaders still can’t scale their warehouse technology
Today’s manufacturing supply chain and warehouse leaders are seeing an all-too-familiar frustration right now. A manufacturer scales its business, adds plants or distribution centers, or enters a new...
How one manufacturer is growing its own future workforce
Cambridge-based Treadlite collects thousands of end-of-life tyres once destined for landfill, transforming them into recycled rubber products used in New Zealand playgrounds, sports fields and horse...
Enztec turns to real-time machine monitoring to drive factory efficiency
Enztec, a Christchurch-based manufacturer of high-precision orthopaedic surgical instruments, has increased CNC uptime after deploying FourJaw Manufacturing Analytics across every CNC machine in its...