Every set of 3SDM forged wheel is UK made from concept to realization, in our own 100% owned manufacturing facility. This allows 3SDMs own highly trained engineers to have complete control over all aspects of the manufacturing process and gives 3SDM extremely quick reaction times to market demands. Already working in the wheel production industry meant 3SDM didn’t just have a head start, they were already one step ahead. Rather than sitting around moaning about the state of play, 3SDM decided to do something about it and give the modified car scene exactly what it needed, a range of cutting edge design.
When you order a set of 3SDM Forged wheels you are ordering a one-off wheel made exactly for you. For every new order 3SDM team of designers will prepare a new set of drawings, there is no generic brake clearances, no generic offsets. 3SDM make forged wheels for your specific vehicle, and to your requirements whether that’s to maximize concave, dish, or both. 3SDM have a large database of OEM and after-market brake caliper profiles on file so there’s normally no need for you to give 3SDM any off the car brake measurements.
Once 3SDM design team has passed the drawings to our engineering department, the testing process begins. All dimensions are checked and 3SDM engineers use finite element analysis (FEA) software with 3SDM own proprietary loading scenario’s to simulate wheel strength and fatigue life based upon JWL VIA standards. This ensures that forged wheels will survive way beyond the limits of our nearest competitors.
After 3SDM have assured dimensions, design strength and fatigue life, tool paths are generated by 3SDM CAM programming team. First the raw arograde 6061 T6 forging is lathed to create the “pancake”, a beautiful metallic disc which at this stage is often visually reminiscent of a chrome smoothie. Critical dimensions are checked throughout and at the end of this stage prior to being passed to our milling department. Within 3SDM CNC mills, the centre of the “pancake” is automatically probed by the latest Renishaw optical technology to find centre-zero with microscopic accuracy. From there the real action begins with each hole, pocket, face, facet and radii being created one by one, beautifully creating the wheels final shape as visualized by our designers. Each set of 3SDM forged centres is crafted from the highest quality aerospace grade 6061-T6 aluminium. For the barrels and lips a lot of 3SDM competitors use 50000 grade aluminium while 3SDM inner barrels and front outer lips are both manufactured from spun 6061-T6 giving a much higher quality and stronger rim.
Once complete, critical dimensions are checked once more and any adjustments necessary are made. Post milling, each wheel undergoes many hours and stages of de burring, abrading, polishing, buffing and brushing to prepare the raw aluminium surface for anodizing or coating.