The real restriction on the 6.7L Cummins intake side is not just the elbow shape. The stock injector line forces a compromise right where the air needs to turn into the cylinder head. We fixed that with a proprietary high-pressure injector line included with the Banks Monster-Ram Intake and Killer Grid Heater Upgrade, which lets us shape the inlet correctly instead of denting the passage to clear the stock line. That is how this design gets over 1,000 cfm, versus 432 cfm for stock. For this EGR-compatible version, we printed the prototype in aluminum so we could prove the geometry fast, machine it, and run it through emissions testing before committing to production tooling. The printed part is built in 50-micron layers and gives us a dense, accurate test piece. The point is simple: keep all the stock top-side hardware where it needs to be, keep it streetable, and still deliver the airflow the stock intake elbow leaves on the table.
The video introduces a newly printed aluminum Monster-Ram intake for the 6.7L Cummins, specifically configured to retain EGR compatibility. Banks explains that when Cummins released the 6.7 in 2007, the engine continued to evolve over the years, and that created an opportunity to improve airflow from the charge-air cooler into the cylinder head. The original Monster-Ram was developed to address that restriction and became a strong performer in terms of intake flow.
A key part of the original Monster-Ram design was a special high-pressure injector line supplied with the kit. That line allowed Banks to shape the entry into the cylinder head much more efficiently than would be possible with the stock injection line in place. According to the recap, competing designs compromised the intake path by retaining the factory line and denting or hacking the casting to clear it. Banks says that approach limited airflow, while the Monster-Ram's revised line routing enabled a much cleaner, higher-flow geometry.
Banks states that the Monster-Ram flowed more than 1,000 CFM. For comparison, the stock intake elbow flowed 432 CFM, and the next-best competing design reached 826 CFM. That means the Monster-Ram delivered 133 percent more airflow than stock. The closest competitor mentioned, the Pusher, is described as flowing 91 percent better than stock, but still using a dented passage to accommodate the factory injector line. The engineering point is that injector-line packaging directly affected the internal shape of the intake elbow, and therefore its airflow capability.
Because the original product was highly popular, Banks says customers began asking for a version suitable for street use while retaining EGR equipment. That request led to this new prototype. Rather than going through a conventional casting house, building temporary tooling, and waiting through a traditional prototype cycle, Banks chose to produce the first article as a metal 3D-printed part. The goal was to create an EGR-compatible Monster-Ram that still exceeded 1,000 CFM, still outperformed competing designs, and could be used legally on the street with the stock emissions-related hardware attached.
The prototype was produced by Memo Technic using selective laser melting equipment valued at roughly $2 million. Banks notes that these machines can print metal parts in materials such as Inconel, stainless steel, and aluminum. In this case, the part was printed in an aluminum alloy containing some silicon, described as being close to 356 alloy, which Banks says he particularly likes to use.
The process builds the part in 50-micron layers. Banks translates that thickness as 0.002 inch, or two thousandths. The machine spreads a 50-micron layer of aluminum powder, then a laser precisely melts that layer before the next one is added. Repeating that process layer by layer creates the full part. Banks emphasizes that the result is extremely accurate and structurally sound, with density that is more consistent than a conventional casting and without the inclusions or air bubbles that can occur in cast parts.
Although the printed part is fully durable and functional, Banks says the production version is intended to be a sand-cast component rather than a printed one. He points out that if the design were optimized specifically for additive manufacturing, it could likely include hollow sections and potentially cut weight in half without sacrificing strength or function. That was not done here because this print is serving as a prototype for a cast production part.
The visible support structures on the printed piece are described as tooling supports used to fixture the part in the machine shop for final machining. Those supports will be cut off later. After machining, the stock components are intended to bolt back onto the assembly: the stock hardware mounts to the top, and the stock throttle bolts to the inlet. Preserving those interfaces is part of making the new Monster-Ram compatible with the factory EGR-equipped street configuration.
This prototype required 38 hours of print time, so Banks makes clear that metal printing is not an instant process. Even so, he highlights the value of working with Memo Technic because the team consists of motorsports-oriented people who understand performance development and are willing to improve process efficiency. He compares their mindset to the kind of hot-rodding mentality common in racing and engine development: always looking for ways to reduce cycle time and improve equipment performance, even when working with highly sophisticated industrial machines.
Banks frames that shared mentality as one reason he enjoys working with them. In his view, the same instinct that drives engine builders and racers to refine every component also applies to advanced manufacturing equipment, and Memo Technic has applied that mindset to speeding up and improving their metal-printing process.
The printed intake now moves to the machine shop for finish machining. After that, Banks plans to install it on a test truck and evaluate it in the company's emissions lab. The deciding factor for release is emissions compliance: if the part passes emissions testing, it will go to market. The overall development path is therefore clear-prototype by metal printing, machine the part, validate fit and function on the truck, confirm emissions performance, and then proceed toward production as an EGR-compatible, street-legal Monster-Ram for the 6.7L Cummins.