POLIMOTOR 3D
THE WORLD’S FIRST PLASTIC
IC ENGINE IS NOW THE
WORLD’S FIRST 3D PRINTED
IC ENGINE
THE FUTURE OF ADDITIVE
MANUFACTURING IS FINALLY
HERE!
THANKS TO THE
POLIMOTOR 3D
EPOXY
EXTRUSION
GRANULATES
The Road to Le Mans 2
POLIMOTOR 1: Beginnings
In 1972, Matti Holtzberg established Polimotor Research so
he could study and develop new and innovative materials
and manufacturing processes for manufacturing internal
combustion engines. In 1980, he took eight years of
research and development work and created the World’s
First Polymer Engine, the POLIMOTOR 1.
In 1984, he purchased a LolaT616 sports prototype race car
and shocked the global automotive industry and
motorsports world by competing in the International
Motor Sports Association's (IMSA) Camel GT Championship
in the Camel Lights (Group C2) category in 1985.
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POLIMOTOR 1: THE AMOCO POLIMOTOR
Beginnings
What was so unique and exciting about this race car was that it was
powered by the World’s First Polymer Engine, the POLIMOTOR 1!
• In 1985, the POLIMOTOR AMOCO Lola
took third place finishes at Lime Rock and
Elkhart Lake beating Mazda, Porsche and
Buick powered sports prototype cars.
The Amoco Chemical Company of Chicago
sponsored the Polimotor and the Lola to
showcase the firm's Torlon thermoplastic
resins used extensively in the Lola's two-liter,
80 kilo,280 BHP polymer engine.
• In 1994, a Polimotor powered Vison race
car took 4 “first” place finishes in the
British Hillclimb Championship.
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POLIMOTOR 1
Beginnings • POLIMOTOR 1, designed and developed
by the leading authority on polymer
engine technology, Matti Holtzberg,
was originally based on Ford’s SOHC
Lima 2300 cc engine as part of a plastic
material development project with
Amoco Chemicals and Ford.
• POLIMOTOR 1 weighed just 80 kilos. -
half the weight of the metal engine.
• It produced 280 BHP at 8500 RPM from
2.0 liters
• The Polimotor 1’s cylinder block, cam
box, cam cover and oil pan were
molded using a fiberglass reinforced
thermoset molding compound.
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POLIMOTOR 2
In response to the tremendous demand for
lighter powertrains, and in particular, for light
range extender engines, from the global auto
makers, SOLVAY approached Matti Holtzberg to
build POLIMOTOR 2 and convert most of the
injection and compression molded glass
reinforced thermoset parts as well as a few
remaining metal parts, to their CF
thermoplastics.
• The POLIMOTOR 2’s new engine block and oil
pan were molded using the CF developed by
the Oak Ridge National Labs and
compounded with a new thermoset polymer.
However, the fuel rail, cam cover, intake
manifold, throttle body, camshaft and
crankshaft timing sprockets, oil pump, AN
fittings and the oil scavenge rail were
converted to SOLVAY’s injection molded and
3D printed thermoplastics.
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POLIMOTOR 3D
• Matti Holtzberg recognized the potential of the
rapidly growing additive manufacturing industry and
that the use of plastic pellets/granulates, filaments
and powders, metal welding wire and powders, and
3D printers could have a tremendous impact on the
way internal combustion engines are manufactured,
their weight, NVH and corrosion resistance, their
manufacturing costs and their environmental
impact, so he decided to use the Polimotor as the
same test bed it has been for the leading global
plastics companies, and develop and demonstrate
the performance and durability of these new and
innovative 3D manufacturing methods and
materials, and create the Polimotor 3D.
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•
The fiber reinforced, epoxy granulate extrusion
technology that was developed to manufacture
the Polimotor engine block is the greatest
advancement in 3D printing and the first
“REAL”, production grade, cost effective, fiber
reinforced, structural polymer for converting
large metal castings, and not just engine
blocks, to a lighter weight, polymer composite.
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With significantly lower cost, faster print speed,
110*C processing temperatures, very high
mechanical properties where X,Y and Z
are THE SAME due to the superior adhesive and
isotropic properties of epoxy, it can easily
replace PEEK, PEKK, and PEI.
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THANKS TO OUR PARTNERSHIP
WITH ABB ROBOTICS, THERE
ARE NOW TWO ROBOTIC
PRINTERS PLUS AN ENTRY
LEVEL, LOW COST DESKTOP
PRINTER WITH A 300-1000MM
CUBED BUILD ENVELOPE.
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IN ADDITION TO BEING ABLE TO BE 3D
PRINTED, THE GRANULES CAN BE INJECTION
AND COMPRESSION MOLDED
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Polimotor ABB 3D granulate
extrusion printers
or
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The Road to Le Mans 14
The Road to Le Mans 15
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The Road to Le Mans 18
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