They Look as Complicated as You Might Expect
If you learn only two things today, learn this: the Ford GT looks absolutely amazing in purple, and 3D-printed titanium wheels are absolutely gorgeous and wildly complex. HRE Wheels makes some amazing wheels for all sorts of cars, but the 3D-printed titanium ones shown above and below are the company’s craziest creation yet.
HRE and GE joined up to make the second generation of the wheels. The companies used additive manufacturing technologies to make the wheel’s intricate shape. Basically, this means using an electron gun as a heat source in a vacuum environment to melt layer by layer of metal powder into a solid part. From there, workers finish and fine-tuned the wheels.
HRE calls the wheels the HRE3D+. The company made notable changes to the intricacies of the design. This helped make the wheel better than the first generation. That generation appeared on a McLaren P1 in November of 2018. Now with the second generation created, HRE says it’s closer to finding the best additive technology solution for car wheels.
