Ford develops 3D-printed locking wheel nuts

Engineers at Ford, together with EOS, now have developed locking wheel nuts using 3D printing technology, with contours based on the driver’s voice. Image provided by Ford

As car security systems become increasingly more sophisticated, thieves are targeting car parts instead, including alloy wheels. One method to deter wheel thieves is to use locking nuts that require a special adapter, or key, to loosen. But even these are not invulnerable.

Engineers at Ford, together with EOS, now have developed locking wheel nuts using 3D printing technology, with contours based on the driver’s voice. Engineers record the driver’s voice for a minimum of one second, saying something like “I drive a Ford Mustang,” and use software to convert that soundwave into a physical, printable pattern. This pattern then is turned into a circle and used as the design for the locking nut’s indentation and key.

With the geometry in place, the nut and key are designed as one piece, then 3D-printed using acid and corrosion-resistant stainless steel. When finished, the nut and key are separated, with a small amount of grinding required to make them ready for use.

The design also includes second-level security features that prevent the nut from being cloned or copied. The unevenly spaced ribs inside the nut and indentations that widen the deeper they go prevent a thief from making a wax imprint of the pattern, as the wax breaks when it is pulled from the nut.

Ford has increasingly used 3D printing to make prototype parts that help reduce new vehicle development time, and it’s used the technology to create parts for the Ford GT, Focus, and Mustang GT500. On the production line, the automaker uses 3D printing to create assembly line tools that are up to 50% lighter, which makes repetitive tasks less physically stressful.

“Having our very own plug-and-play printer enables us to make tools and parts exactly when we need them, and to replace them faster than ever before,” said Lars Bognar, research engineer, Advanced Materials and Processes, Ford of Europe. “For some tools, the delivery time was up to eight weeks, but with 3D printing, the turnaround has been reduced to just five days. Best of all, anyone can sit down, create the part they need, and start printing it using recycled plastic.”