Restoration and Possible Upgrade of a Historical Motorcycle Part Using Powder Bed Fusion.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science and Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Reverse engineering enables digital replication of existing parts without prior design knowledge.
• 3D printing facilitates rapid fabrication of reconstructed parts for prototyping and functional use.
• Stainless steel 316L (SS316L) is a suitable material for demanding applications like automotive components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a comprehensive workflow for restoring a motorcycle braking pedal using Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) technology.
• To validate the accuracy and functionality of the 3D-printed component through rigorous testing.
• To explore optimization strategies for PBF-manufactured parts using advanced design techniques like lattice structures.

Main Methods:

• Creation of a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) model from the original motorcycle braking pedal.
• Simulation of the PBF printing process to predict and mitigate potential imperfections.
• Quality control encompassing dimensional accuracy assessment and both numerical and physical strength evaluations.
• Material characterization and functional performance testing of the fabricated braking pedal.

Main Results:

• Successful restoration of the exterior shape of the motorcycle braking pedal.
• Demonstrated full functionality of the restored pedal through material assessments and physical tests.
• Validation of the PBF process for producing accurate and robust components.

Conclusions:

• The presented workflow effectively restores functional motorcycle braking pedals using reverse engineering and PBF.
• The restored SS316L braking pedal meets functional requirements, proving the viability of the method.
• An optimization approach using lattice structures is proposed to further leverage PBF capabilities for enhanced performance.