2018-12-01

Niko-Engine Project - Part 1


This is the first video from our "Fast Forward Series".



The project began in 2017. We took it over when only part of the design was completed and some parts were already finished.

First we had to get familiar with the engine design to see what was actually made and what was missing. We had a few skype meetings with the original designer who explained how he envisioned the engine to work. Because we had no prior experience in combustion engines, we had to learn as we went on with the project.

A lot of work was put into the design of the special gears called "beveloid gears". This type of gears had to be used, because the camshaft from the BMW head came out at an angle. We reviewed all the books in our library and a lot of articles on the web to figure out how to design and manufacture this kind of gears. After we figured out how to design them, we had to find and convince a manufacturer to help us with the prototype. The first prototype was a success, so we could design the final piece with all the other features included.

The next step in the project was to get the BMW heads welded together. For this to happen, we needed to machine off some of the material from the heads. After that we designed the middle part that combined both heads and a few parts to close the gaps. A welding fixture was designed to ensure the correct position of the heads during welding. After the welding was finished, the weldments were machined to ensure a straight surface.

The combustion chamber seals were designed and after that, they were manufactured from copper alloy and rubber. They fitted perfectly on the first try. We also had to design and manufacture the middle seal for the piston.

Because the engine will be mounted on a rig, we redesigned a part and included holes for mounting on the rig.

Beside all this there was a lot of small work needed on the design and parts manufacturing.

The patent for the engine is available here.

In the second part of the project series, we will show some details from the assembling process.