AM-UPPER
Additive Manufacturing of Ultra-Performance Piston Rings for Extreme Environments
The AM-UPPER project develops ultra-performance piston rings for operation in extreme environments, including high temperatures, severe wear, and aggressive chemical media. EURORING BV aims to use multi-material additive manufacturing (MMAM) to overcome the limitations of conventional single-material components by combining a high-temperature structural alloy with a wear-resistant surface architecture in one integrated design.
The project combines computational metallurgy, LPBF and DED process development, and the construction of a modular high-pressure/high-temperature tribology test rig for validation under realistic service conditions. Over 36 months, the consortium will develop predictive design rules for stable multi-material interfaces, manufacturing protocols for functionally graded piston-ring concepts, and a validated testing methodology for extreme-environment performance.
The project will strengthen EURORING BV’s technological position in demanding industrial markets, including future hydrogen-related applications, while contributing new knowledge and infrastructure to the Dutch high-tech materials ecosystem.