Paul,
I haven't heard any updates lately. What is the status of the cast Al
manifold that Tom Kendall made a pattern for? Is it progressing?

Bill Schertz
KIS Cruiser #4045

Core boxes and casting patterns are a tedious, time consuming and
careful art I am having trouble learning so I went the hi tech route.
I am learning Rhino 3D so I can design intake manifold runners
in 3D among other things.

I also took an advanced  course at the local college on stereo lithography
so I can use their machine to grow core boxes directly. No intermediate steps.
The machine uses Rhino 3D files as input.

This will help when it comes time to do yet
another casting design (when the RX8 arrives).
Paying someone to make patterns for our quantities is out of the
question. $3500 to $5000. Castings would cost way too much.

Course starts Aug. 19th.

Paul Lamar

Paul,

  This doesnt really answer the question that was asked. Are you implying
that the current patterns/core boxes are unsuitable and that this project
is on hold until you complete the course? While there is probably a lot of
interest in the RX8, at the moment its vaporware. Meanwhile there are folks
here who are looking for an intake solution for the current engine. I
thought the last status update indicated that the current patterns while
not perfect, were acceptible. Is this not the case?

Mike Wills

Yes. I see your point Mike. Yes, I am not happy with the current pattern.
For one thing my original design was too hard and expensive to machine
and it did not fit the 93 and later engines. So I set out to modify
it. That turned out to be a disaster so I decided to start over
from scratch. Intake manifold runner core boxes are very very difficult 
to make. Two prototype castings have been made so far
at considerable expense. Neither one of them is usable.

Sorry about the delay but unless I can get the cost down a cast manifold
is not viable economically speaking. It is cheaper to make it some other
way and any capital investment on my part would be a big loser.

When we convince the general aviation world that the Mazda rotary is
the way to go (any day now) and we can sell hundreds the situation
will change and we can afford to invest $3500 to $5000 for a professionally
made pattern. In the mean time Tom Kendall is getting better and better
as a pattern maker and he showed me a core box at OSH for a three rotor intake
manifold that looks real real good.

Paul Lamar
 
The AirCraft Rotary Engine NewsLetter.              Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. Copyright 1998-2002 All world wide rights reserved.
http://home.earthlink.net/~rotaryeng/            http://www.linux.org