Ford 3D prints an ‘impossible intake’ for racer Ken Block | McLarty Daniel Ford

From literally creating the assembly line to today’s cutting edge engine, safety and information systems, Ford has been at the forefront of automotive engineering for over 100 years, building the future through innovation and drive that defines the brand.

That commitment to innovation was recently put to the test when drift car racer and Gymkhana star Ken Block approached Ford with a problem: how to create an intricate, impossible-to-cast or machine twin-turbo intake for the 3.5-liter Ford EcoBoost V6 — the same engine that powers the incredible 2019 Ford GT — he planned to install in his wildest creation: an all-wheel-drive 1977 Ford F-150 he calls The Hoonitruck. Block was building the truck for the latest in his Gymkhana drift racing videos, Gymkhana TEN.

To make this “impossible intake” a reality, Ford turned to the newest tool in their mission to create the future of driving: a printer that can make functional, three-dimensional metal objects by using powerful lasers to melt powder into solid shapes, building them up one paper-thin layer at a time. Also called additive manufacturing, 3D printing is the manufacturing process of tomorrow, and could someday allow everyone from Ford engineers to at-home mechanics to literally print close-tolerance steel or aluminum parts quickly and easily on a workbench instead of having them cast or machined and then shipped.

“We are fortunate to have access to incredible technology, but this was one project that pushed us – and our computing power – to the absolute limit,” said Raphael Koch, engineer, Advanced Materials and Processes with Ford of Europe. “The manifold has a complex web‑like structure that couldn’t be made using traditional manufacturing methods.”

Designed and computer simulated by Ford engineers in the U.S. and Europe, the intake for Block’s Hoonitruck was created over five days with the assistance of the Aachen Digital Additive Production Institute in Germany, When completed, the intake achieved a milestone for Ford and the future of 3D printing technology as the largest and most intricate 3D printed metal part ever produced and installed on a working vehicle. Just as impressive, the unique airflow properties of the intake, which weighs a little over 13 pounds, helped The Hoonitruck produce more than 900 horsepower.

“I think Ford did an exceptional job,” said Block. “This is my favorite part of the ‘Hoonitruck’. You could not have made it any other way.”

Check out this very cool video from Ford for a brief recap of the process by which Block’s impossible intake was created: https://youtu.be/6GsuRCGEZno

And if you want to see The Hoonitruck using every one of those 900 ponies — alongside four other incredible Ford drift racing machines — check out Ken Block in Gymkhana Ten right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_KBvP0_8Tc

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