HRE creates first 3D-printed titanium wheels

The wheels were produced using electron beam melting (EBM) and titanium powder.

HRE Wheels and GE Additive have revealed the first titanium wheels created using electron beam melting (EBM) 3D printing.

The wheel maker says traditional aluminum monoblock wheels involve cutting away 80 percent of the material from a 100-pound forged block of metal to create a final product. With additive manufacturing, only five-percent of the material is removed and recycled, making the process more efficient.

The wheel was created using two EBM machines, in five separate sections, then combined using a custom center piece and titanium fasteners.

Notably, 3D printing also enables manufacturers to create much more complex designs that cannot easily be produced via traditional subtractive machining techniques. Bugatti demonstrated how such design methods, known as generative design, could be combined with 3D printing to create a lighter titanium brake caliper. HRE's wheels appear to use traditional CAD techniques rather than generative design, however.

HRE has not said if the titanium wheels will enter production.