Development of fuel filter cap of comet diesel engine using structural optimization technique and additive manufacturing

As market competition and computational technologies grow, engineering design and development process heavily relies on the computer modelling, simulation and prototype manufacturing to accelerate the development cycles and to save the cost. This article intends to use finite element method as a structural optimization tool and 3D additive manufacturing for manufacturing of prototype to optimize the weight and strength of fuel filter cap of 5HP, 1500 rpm water cooled comet diesel engine within the lesser time cycle. The developed fuel filter cap is manufactured through the stages of pattern making using 3D printing machine, casting of cap by sand casting process, finishing operations and subsequently tested on the comet diesel engine testing set up. The development work has resulted in 48.67% stress reduction and 17.87% reduction in the weight of the fuel filter cap.