PWR to use Constellium’s Aheadd aluminium alloys for developing 3D printed heat exchangers

In a recent partnership between PWR Advanced Cooling Technology and Constellium, the Gold Coast-based automotive cooling solutions firm will create 3D-printed heat exchangers and other aluminium components.

Under this alliance, PWR, an ASX-listed Gold Coast-based automotive cooling solutions firm, said the coalition would utilise Constellium's metallurgical expertise and patented Aheadd aluminium alloys for additive manufacturing. PWR Technical Projects Manager Mark Booker said the Aheadd CP1 alloy allows 3D printing of complicated geometries, quicker print times, and increased thermal performance. The Aheadd aluminium was luanched by Constellium in 2020. 

"The ability to anodise, weld and braze, all in-house with this alloy opens applications not previously suited to 3D printing. The absence of volatile elements in the composition enables fast but high-quality material deposition during printing, supporting the significant cost reduction for large, printed components," said Syam Unnikrishnan, Business Development Manager at Constellium.

PWR supplies cooling technologies to Formula 1, NASCAR, Supercars, automotive aftermarket, aerospace, and defence teams. CP1 is a laser powder bed fusion-specific aluminium-iron-zirconium system.