How Engine Pistons Are Made

Chances are most of you reading this are at least vaguely familiar with pistons, but many of you may not know just what goes into the creation of them. Pistons are one of the key components of any internal-combustion engine and have to be manufactured to exacting tolerances to ensure they do their job correctly through millions of trips up and down the engine bore.

In this episode of How It’s Made, we are treated to an in-depth look at the piston manufacturing process, and it’s actually a pretty cool journey from a long aluminum rod to a meticulously-machined piston ready to drop into an engine. You get a step-by-step look and how they’re cut, heat treated, and machined into their final form that you’re familiar with from whatever type of piston powered vehicle you own or work on.

It’s very interesting to see the process from beginning to end, especially the order of the steps taken in the machining process and the final hand-inspection that makes sure each piston is ready to go!