The goal of the innovation project is to bring to market 3D-printed metal heat exchangers designed to be modular and smart (i.e., equipped with sensors and connected) for the aerospace, hydraulic, Oil & Gas industries, and many other industrial sectors.
The heat exchanger is a key element for many industries. The SME Aidro Hydraulics & 3D Printing, based in the province of Varese, active in hydraulics and metal Additive Manufacturing with nearly 40 years of experience in “fluids under pressure,” has already designed, tested, and produced prototypes of heat exchangers in metal Additive Manufacturing that, with appropriate refinement processes, can be marketed as customized products. Inspired by the organic shapes of nature, the internal surfaces of the exchanger “grow” layer by layer thanks to the laser melting process of metal powder. By creating complex geometries not achievable with traditional production techniques, it optimizes heat exchange, pressure resistance, weight, and size compared to commercially available plate or shell and tube products.
Without welds or joints, the proposed heat exchanger solution represents a breakthrough compared to traditional technologies. It is also designed to be modular and equipped with connected sensors for predictive maintenance (Internet of Things), addressing the specific and still unresolved issue of reducing maintenance time and costs for heat exchangers in critical applications. Being produced with a process that “adds material only where needed,” the solution is ecological and, overall, can have a significant business impact in highly relevant and value-added markets such as aerospace.
