• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.270-276
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• 2020

3D printing is an additive manufacturing technology that can produce complex shapes in a single process for a range of materials, such as polymers, ceramics, and metals. Recent 3D printing technology has developed to a level that enables the mass-production through an improvement of the printing speed and the continuous development of applicable materials. In this study, 3D printing technology using a laser was applied to manufacture a heat exchanger for an air compressor in a railway vehicle. First, the optimal design of the heat exchanger was carried out by focusing on weight reduction and compactness as a shape suitable for 3D printing. Based on the design derived, heat exchanger prototypes were made of AlSi10Mg alloy material by applying the SLM technique. Moreover, the manufactured prototypes were attached to an existing air compressor, and the heat exchange performance of the compressed air was tested. The test results of the 3D printed prototypes showed a heat exchange performance of approximately 80% and 85% at low and high-pressure, respectively, compared to the existing heat exchanger. From the 𝓔-NTU method results with an external cooling air condition similar to that of the existing heat exchanger, the calculated heat transfer amount of 3D printed parts showed similar performance compared to the existing heat exchanger. As a result, the 3D printed heat exchanger is lightweight with good performance.