The ability to customize process settings for individual areas of his part allows Michael to reduce or even eliminate the need for supports in his prints, saving him significant amounts of time and material. According to Michael, “When printing with high temperature filaments, the support material can get tricky and expensive due to elevated temperatures. The ability to refine processes in Simplify3D and print without supports has saved me, at minimum, 10-15 hours and 45 meters of filament for each intake manifold I print.”
New Opportunities with 3D Printing
So far, Michael has focused primarily on optimizing Small Block Chevrolet engines, but going forward he wants to work on other engine types. He has already started branching into Chevy LS1 and Big Block Chevrolet platforms on the side. Though he started this project as a fun hobby, he has hopes of eventually turning his passions for automotive engineering, manufacturing, and prototyping into a new business in the future.