“EVEN ALL OF THE CENTURY-OLD MARKINGS FROM THE DELAGE FACTORY ARE REPRODUCED EXACTLY'”
of metal and pour it into a mould. This step is comparatively quick, but there are fewer and fewer places remaining where it can be done.
The genius of using laser scanning and 3D printing is not only saving time and money, but also agility. For the Delage, the first new block poured at the foundry was sacrificed and sliced in two. Despite having cost a considerable amount to make, the block was cut into sections to allow an inspection of its innards. Precise measurements of cylinder walls and water jackets proved the wisdom of that decision. Small imperfections requiring internal adjustments can all be attended to on screen, adjusting the CAD model and moving parts of the pattern a thou here and there as needed. Then once satisfied that all is was it ought to be, Phil Guilfoyle simply sent the updated data back to the printer, the CSIRO printed out another sand mould, which in turn was sent to the foundry and an improved block emerged from the sparks.
The final block was in every way identical to the original. All the century-old markings from the Delage factory, every bump, ever y scratch, even some chisel marks where a bolt required extra clearance and a somewhat brutal method was used to cut the block, all are reproduced exactly. “What has been done is really in the miracle department – it is such a precise copy, it is truly a clone of the original” says a beaming Stuart.
Already, a second project is under way. And Phil Guilfoyle has already been contacted by restorers in Europe going the same route to revive museum quality cars without compromising their integrity.