Order and use 3d Printed Metal Parts to connect "incompatible" Heat exchange Units?
Hi
I own a normal Gasoline Generator and an separate Diese Heater. Both exhaust a lof of Heat into the environment. For the Generator in Summer its fine but in Winter in case of an Power Outage I need that Heat to keep a Room in liveable Condition. For that I bought an "AGR Cooler" who is an Part of Diesel Cars who get rid of the Heat for an better Cleaning or the exhaust Particles or what ever... It works by Flush Water truth a Pipe. Perfect for my Application since it must be resistant to the Exhaust gasses anyway. The slight problem are the different Diameter of each Pipe In, Extake. I thought since there are many Company who offer affordable Metal Parts who not get printed some Adapter in Metal?
Are the ok to deal with hot exhaust gasses and maybe some corrosive stuff from the Gasoline residues?
Thanks
The simple answer is yes - but it's not quite so simple...
Fist make certain you know what metals you are working with; the wrong combination with water can lead to electrolytic corrosion. In the worst case you may need to add a sacrificial anode to protect the parts.
Most metals can be printed but for some reason phospher-bronze is unavailable which can be a problem especially with saltwater systems.
Begin by designing a prototype in PLA and iterate until it is a good fit. Then contact a metal printing service.
Ask about thermal contraction of their metal prints - in some cases you can give them your file and they will modify it for you, in others they will give you a coefficient and expect you to supply a modified file - and if the part is complex and likely to contract differently in one area or another you will have to print metal prototypes - sometimes just the problematic section.
With care you can print a prototype in PLA and an identical working part in metal.
Cheerio,