Chapman951

I reached out to a 3D print company in regards to printing our coolant tanks.

Anyone have CAD files for them?

Black51

Nice idea. I'd be interested in one in a group buy.

V2Rocket

remember its not just a water bottle but a reservoir containing ~21PSI and ~220 degree coolant.
can 3D printing take pressure?

Chapman951

Good question. I have asked.

Seattle 993

Very cool. How about printing the air box?

KVDR

You can still buy the coolant tank (and airbox) from Porsche, and it will certainly cost less and work better than any 3D printed one.

Chapman951

I heard back and the 3D print of a coolant tank would have no issues holding above 21psi and 220 degrees.

The next steps would be the CAD drawings and then a price quote.

I can request the air intake also but need CAD drawings.

fortysixandtwo

Has the 3D printing supplier stated which material/printing method they'll be using?

Perry 951

An OE tank 951.106.025.02 is $330 and they look great when nice and white in the engine bay. Why go to the cost and unknown reliability of a 3D printed piece? Your tow charge will probably be more if the thing decides not to hold it's drink.

Chapman951

"""I use FDM method using commercial grade printers. As for the materials, for this bottle application I would be going with Essentium engineering grade materials to meet your requirements. Although I would initially run a test run in cheap PLA just to get my alignments right and then switch over to the more expensive materials when I run the production run.

Thanks in advance."""

Very valid points! Definitely makes me re-think if this is worth pursuing.

RoyaleWithCheese

Is there a reason an aluminum tank for our cars is $400+ but for other cars it's $25?

Example:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/EPMA...601385944.html

It might be worth pursuing a group buy with whoever the overseas manufacturer is that makes those tanks and just send them an old plastic tank to take measurements off of.

I would definitely be in for one if it was even half of what the current options go for.

Chapman951

I have contacted HUBsport.

Black51

The reason is probably due to where it's made and the cost of labor.

Mike Goebel

You could have the tank 3D scanned. Once you have the scan you can manipulate the part to get closer to what an actual new part would look like. But I'm not sure what the cost for that is! Probably not worth it unless 100 tanks are produced. I need to get a new tank one day too but for now no leaks just ugly.


Thanks
Mike G.

V2Rocket

If your tanks aren't broken or rusted out (fittings), why not just paint it (or get one of Van's stickers)?

Or, if you don't have cruise control, a Volvo 940 coolant tank fits nicely in that corner with an easy bracket.