😖 👫 👲🏿 5 ways 3D printing is changing the automotive industry ⚾️ 🙋🏽 👨🏼‍🎨

Source all3dp.com The

article from formlabs.com has been adapted and supplemented for you by the Top 3D Shop .

It is not yet possible to buy a fully 3D-printed car at the car dealership, but additive technologies have been used for many years in the development of motor vehicles. Every year, especially recently, 3D printing occupies an increasingly important place at all stages of production. This is evidenced by the rapid growth in the 3D printing market share in the automotive industry, which is projected to reach $ 2.5 billion by 2023.

For example, companies producing luxury cars, including Bentley, Porsche, BMW and Ferrari, use 3D printing to create customized interior parts for cars. GM, Volvo, Forduse 3D printing for tooling to save money, improve design and shorten delivery times.

Source 3dprinting.com

3D printing constantly has new opportunities, it is becoming more accessible . If the first 3D printers cost about $ 20 thousand, now you can find 3D equipment for $ 100. Now companies can, using additive technologies, produce the necessary components directly at their own enterprises and not depend on suppliers.

New materials on 3D printers can print high-precision, functional end parts . Additive technologies facilitate the production of custom products and increase productivity.

But this is only the beginning of the journey. Next, we’ll cover five key ways 3D printing drives innovation in the automotive industry, from car design to production. Plus one bonus.

1. Change the prototyping process

It was with the manufacture of prototypes that the use of 3D printers in the automotive industry began . They spent much less time on 3D-printed prototypes than traditional methods required.

Using Raise3D 3D printers and ideaMaker, Crazy Grandpa Garage was able to automate the process of creating custom auto parts . The cost of production decreased by 50%, the reliability of the structure increased significantly, the time to complete the work was reduced by 83%. Parts now turn out very well fitted to the car.

Source: facebook.com

Using 3D printing, car designers can quickly prototype individual parts or assemblies, from interior parts to the dashboard, or even full-size auto models. Thanks to 3D prototyping, the initial idea is rapidly turning into the physical embodiment of the concept - a conceptual model. Then the concept can be developed to the manufacture of fully functional prototypes of high accuracy, and after several stages of verification, mass production begins. For the automotive industry, the rapid passage of these stages is vital, the entire simple automotive production line in just an hour costs the company very expensive.

For example, the assembly plant of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors claims that thanks to the acquisition of a 3D printer in 2016managed to save over 300,000 US dollars .

Using laser stereo lithography (SLA) in their facility, Ringbrothers designers and engineers are independent of third-party organizations. Cost is reduced, development time is reduced. Source: formlabs.com

Pipes for BMW M4 manufactured by Eventuri, Source: ultimaker.com

Traditional prototyping took a long time and was expensive, in particular because the product went through more iterations. With 3D printing, you can create quality prototypes in one day and at much lower cost. More examples .

The Ford Fiesta ST with 3D-printed parts, art. SEMA 2016, ultimaker.com

So, General Motors has entered into a partnership agreement with Autodesk for the production of low-cost and light parts for cars using 3D printers. According to Autodesk, tools, fixtures and fittings can now be produced for a small fraction of the cost. For example, a 3D printing tool used to align engine and gearbox identification numbers costs less than $ 3 at General Motors. A traditionally manufactured tool will cost $ 3,000. In addition, downtime due to a faulty tool can be significantly reduced as new tools are produced locally.

2. Creating custom and complex parts

Daihatsu, the oldest car manufacturer in Japan, launched a project in 2016 to customize its Copen model.

Source: 3dprint.com

In collaboration with Stratasys, Daihatsu customers can design and order customized 3D printed panels for their front and rear bumpers with a choice of more than 15 basic designs in 10 different colors.

Source: 3dprint.com

In Europe, the BMW MINI brand also uses3D printing to create personalized automotive parts. Since the beginning of 2018, MINI customers can personalize various trim elements, such as the dashboard, LED door sills and ledges with backlight, as well as choose different colors and textures. These parts are then printed in 3D using a range of technologies, from DLS Carbon to SLS.

Source: formlabs.com

Volkswagen Motorsport's ID R Pikes Peak race car is designed using over 2,000 3D printed test pieces.

Source amfg.ai

The use of 3D printers makes it possible to experiment in the development of custom designs, reduces the cost of their production. Long-term manufacturing processes for creating custom-made products are becoming much shorter.

Ringbrothers uses 3D printing to create custom tailored parts, such as ventilation grills. Source: formlabs.com

Large companies combine 3D printing technology and traditional production methods. Volkswagen recreated its iconic 1962 Microbus, replacing the gasoline engine with an electric one with 120 hp. The Type 20 electric minivan has come up with many enhancements using 3D-printed parts. Among these improvements are cast aluminum wheels. Even the wheel caps, even though they look like stamped steel, are actually printed on a Formlabs SLA 3D printer, then they were plated and polished.

Source: formlabs.com

SLA 3D Printer Features Formlabs Form 2

Source top3dshop.com

Bentley Speed 6 is another example. Bentley used advanced technology3D metal printers to make the radiator grill, side vents, door handles and exhaust pipes are much more complex than those used in current production models.

Bentley used 3D metal printing to create complex parts with micron precision. Source: formlabs.com

Source: youtube.com

3D printing also allowed the creation of parts that could not be made in any other way.

A striking example is the monoblock brake caliper from Bugatti. For some components, Bugatti would prefer titanium because of its high performance, but the processing of this metal by traditional methods is expensive and complicated. 3D printing enabled Bugatti to manufacture a titanium alloy brake caliper. Due to the thin walls, the caliper turned out to be very light - almost two times lighter than forged aluminum. At the same time, 3D printed monoblock is superior in strength to aluminum. The 3D-printed monoblock made of titanium has a tensile strength of 1250 N / mm2. This means that a force of just over 125 kg will be applied per square millimeter of this titanium alloy without breaking the material. The new titanium caliper, 41 cm long, 21 cm wide and 13.6 cm high, weighs only 2.9 kg compared to the currently used aluminum, which weighs 4.9 kg.

Source: youtube.com The

Bugatti Brake All-in-One is the industry’s largest functional 3D printed titanium component for the car. Source: formlabs.com

3. Production of tools and fixtures

Various devices help to facilitate and accelerate production and assembly processes, increase the safety of workers. Automobile factories and component suppliers use a large number of custom equipment that is specifically designed and optimized for end use. As a result, a lot of non-standard equipment and tools are being made, because of this, production costs increase.

This 3D wheel with a protective wheel was purchased for 800 euros, but now it can be printed for only 21 euros. Tool development time was reduced from 56 to 10 days.

Source: ultimaker.com

If you entrust the production of non-standard tools and devices to service providers who manufacture parts on machines from solid metal or plastic billets, this may delay production for several weeks.

So, the development and prototype of a collector engine using traditional production methods can take up to four months and cost about half a million dollars. Thanks to 3D printing, Ford was able to develop several options in just 4 days and 99.4% cheaper - for only $ 3,000.

Source: youtube.com

Additive technologies allow you to complete the task in a few hours and significantly reduce costs compared to ordering at a third-party enterprise. Since increasing the complexity of a 3D printed model does not entail additional costs, products can be better optimized for their application. New resilient materials for 3D printing in many cases make it possible to print plastic parts instead of metal or create prototypes on a 3D printer to test a tool before using it in work.

Gradually, the production of 3D printing accessories and tools is becoming one of the largest areas application of additive technologies.

Pankl Racing Systems uses 3D printing devices to attach workpieces to the conveyor belt. Source: formlabs.com

For example, Pankl Racing Systems uses a set of several Formlabs SLA 3D printers to make important production tools. In the multi-stage manufacturing of parts for gearboxes on automatic lathes, a series of fixtures and tools designed for each specific part is required.

Using 3D printing, Pankl engineers were able to reduce the time spent on manufacturing auxiliary tools by 90% - from 2-3 weeks to about 20 hours. Costs also fell by 80–90%, and $ 150,000 were saved.

Transition to 3D printing enabled Volkswagen Autoeuropareduce the cost of developing equipment by 91% and reduce the time of its manufacture by 95%.

4. Solving problems with spare parts

Spare parts have always been a problem for the automotive industry. There is a demand for them, that is, no, therefore, the production of spare parts is economically rather unprofitable, and the storage of pre-made replacement components also requires costs. But if there are no parts available for repair, difficulties arise and the main products become less valuable.

3D printing could largely solve the problem of spare parts in the automotive industry. The main factors are printed materials, which can meet the characteristics of traditional materials used in the details and be cost-effective. There are prerequisites for this.

Using computer-aided design systems, drawings of all parts can be stored digitally, so parts will not need to be stored. The details necessary for the client can be printed on a 3D printer directly in the workshop.

Even obsolete parts, the drawings of which have not been preserved, can, in principle, be recreated by 3D scanning existing parts of this type and applying reverse engineering (reverse engineering). Read more about this in our blog . Old projects can live a new life. There are many fans of antique cars, with the help of 3D printing it would be possible to create spare parts for them.

Ringbrother reproduced the Cadillac logo for a custom-built old car using 3D printing. Source: formlabs.com

5. Production of standard parts

As 3D printers and 3D printing materials become more available, a gradual transition to the production of mass-produced automotive parts using additive technologies is possible.

3D printing makes it possible to combine components into a single whole. Suppose there is a mechanism assembled from six or seven automotive parts that can be combined into one printed part. Time and assembly costs will be saved. With 3D printing, it is also possible to reduce the weight of the combined unit, as a result, the car will use fuel more efficiently.

3D Systems has designed an advanced exhaust pipe for a sports bike. In the image below, you will see 20 sheet metal parts and hydroformed parts needed to assemble the original exhaust pipe. On the right is a monolithic exhaust pipe that does not require assembly , made using metal 3D printing.

Source designnews.com A

3D printed tube was produced using Grade23 titanium in just 23 hours; it would have taken three weeks for its traditional production. Design development time reduced from 6 weeks to 6 days. Additive technology also eliminates the need for tooling, fixtures, multiple welding, and multiple inspections.

Geometry optimization has reduced the amount of material needed for maximum productivity. All elements of the original exhaust pipe are included in the new design and, when printed with a typical wall thickness of 0.5 mm, the 3D-printed exhaust pipe is approximately 25% lighter than the original.

A wide selection of materials for 3D printing is beginning to meet the requirements of various vehicle components. Since additive methods reduce costs compared to traditional ones (such as molding and injection molding), from a production and financial point of view, it makes a lot of sense for the further implementation of 3D printing in the production of basic parts.

Volkswagen, one of the largest and most innovative car manufacturers in the world, uses the HP Metal Jet 3D printer to produce high-performance functional parts with special design requirements, such as gear knobs and mirror mounts. Volkswagen's long-term plans to work with HP include speeding up the production of mass-customizable parts such as key rings and external nameplates.

Source: youtube.com

+1 3D printed cars

Although the cars printed on a 3D printer as a whole have not yet entered the market, some interesting projects and concepts make it possible to judge the possible direction of development of the automotive industry.

Light Cocoon . The German engineering firm EDAG was clearly inspired by nature to create a 3D-printed load-bearing structure of the concept car Light Cocoon (“Cocoon of Light”). The frame resembles the veins of a leaf of a tree or its branch. Despite the fact that the EDAG design took less material than a conventional frame, all the strength requirements for structurally significant components have been met. Outside, the case is covered in a light and durable waterproof fabric.

The coating protects the EDAG Light Cocoon from the weather and gives the car a unique personality. Source: formlabs.com

Blade. Blade ("Blade") was announced as "the world's first 3D-printed supercar." It meets supercar standards, but is made from low-cost materials: carbon tubes and aluminum rods, combined with 3D-printed metal parts. Blade turned out to be very light and it wasn’t very long to assemble.

The world's first 3D-printed supercar Blade. Source: formlabs.com

Strati . The American company Local Motors printed on a 3D printer and assembled the Strati electric car right at the exhibition stand, in just 44 hours. Most of the components were printed - the body, seats, parts of the passenger compartment. A car consists of less than 50 knots - incomparably less than the thousands of parts that go to a traditional car. The company intends to reduce the printing time to 10 hours.

Local Motors Strati consists of less than 50 separate parts *. Source: formlabs.com

LSEV. Designed by the Italian company XEV, LSEV could be the first sign on the 3D-printed electric car market when it goes on sale. The 3D printer prints the chassis, seats, windshield and all visible parts of the LSEV. Thanks to the active use of 3D printing, it was possible to reduce the number of components from 2000 to just 57, resulting in a very lightweight design. The electric car weighs only 450 kg.

The LSEV is the first 3D-printed electric car to hit the market in 2020. Source: formlabs.com

While most of these and many other 3D printing car projects remain at the concept stage, the penetration of 3D printing into various areas of the automotive industry is striking. In some cases, additive technologies provide new opportunities for design and production, in others they reduce production costs and save time.

See also:
Production of a racing car on 3D printers and CNC machines
3D scanning of cars in tuning and repair