HRE3D+ 3D-Printed Titanium Wheels

[durok]

From AutoBlog:

"...a seven-piece wheel: five spokes, a center section, and the carbon fiber rim. Using two Arcam Electron Beam Melting (EBM) machines, GE engineers built up each section using a titanium powder melted into a solid by the electron beam, yielding "stress-relieved components with material properties better than cast, and comparable to wrought material."

"Hand finishing removed the temporary heat and support structures necessary during the build. The leftover bits represented just 5 percent of the total material, vs. the 80 percent from the forging process, and can be recycled. The threads and mating surfaces received CNC machining, then bolted to the rim with titanium fasteners without any powdercoating or clear-coat. HRE didn't divulge the final weights, but when assembled, the front wheel measures 20 x 9 inches, the rear 21 x 21.5 inches."

[BJoe]

I'd imagine those aren't any heavier than the oe cast 18×8 7 spokes on my 200, it not the oe cast 15×7 "mesh" wheels on my XJ.

[Axial Rose]

I was going to toss a set of those onto my wife's 2012 Civic but . . . they look too hard to clean so . . . I'll get her a new lighter for her birthday instead

[durok]

Ummm... I don't know how I missed the fat that this was already posted...

Sorry, STANG KILLA SS!