This prototype development project is one of our largest projects to this day and it’s still not finished.
The project began in 2017. We took over it when only part of the design was completed and some parts were already finished.
First, we had to get familiar with the engine design to see what was actually made and what was missing. We had a few skype meetings with the original designer who explained how he envisioned the engine to work. Because we had no prior experience in combustion engines, we had to learn as we went on with the project.
A lot of work was put into the design of the special gears called “beveloid gears”. This type of gears had to be used because the camshaft from the BMW head came out at an angle. We reviewed all the books in our library and a lot of articles on the web to figure out how to design and manufacture these kinds of gears. After we figured out how to design them, we had to find and convince a manufacturer to help us with the prototype. The first prototype was a success, so we could design the final piece with all the other features included.
The next step in the project was to get the BMW heads welded together. For this to happen, we needed to machine off some of the material from the heads. After that, we designed the middle part that combined both heads and a few parts to close the gaps. A welding fixture was designed to ensure the correct position of the heads during welding. After the welding was finished, the weldments were machined to ensure a straight surface.
The combustion chamber seals were designed and after that, they were manufactured from copper alloy and rubber. They fitted perfectly on the first try. We also had to design and manufacture the middle seal for the piston.
Because the engine will be mounted on a rig, we redesigned a part and included holes for mounting on the rig.
Besides all this, there was a lot of small work needed on the design and parts manufacturing.
The patent for the engine is available here.
You can watch the first part of the development here. After some dry runs with electromotor, we are now waiting for the first real start.
In a nutshell, this project includes:
- a lot of research
- project planning and coordination
- engineering design
- engineering calculations
- CAE analysis
- prototype building and assembly
- prototype testing
- 3D scanning
- 3D metal printing
- electronics
- …