3D Printing in Automobile Industry

3D Printing in Automobile Industry makenica.com/3d-printing-in-automobile-industry April 7, 2021

The automobile industry is facing demands on all fronts, including the need to optimize manufacturing and streamline supply chains and logistics and the demand for newer, higher-performing cars. 3D printing Bangalore is one technique that is assisting in meeting these difficulties.

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3D printing Bangalore is being investigated in more and more fields of vehicle manufacturing. Aside from fast prototyping, the technology is often used to manufacture tooling and, in some cases, end components.

With the number of automotive 3D print online applications, here are some of the most compelling examples of automakers using the technology to improve production: 1. Ford uses 3D printing services to create parts for the high-performance Mustang Shelby GT500.

Ford Motor Company - One of the first 3D printing adopters, purchasing the third 3D printer ever produced about 30 years earlier.

Since opening its Advanced Manufacturing Centre last year, Ford has taken measures to incorporate 3D printing services into the product production cycle. The corporation is now looking to apply the technology in industrial applications.

Its most recent model, the 2020 Shelby GT500, is an example of this. The 2020 Shelby GT500, which went on sale last year, is said to be the most aerodynamically sophisticated Mustang to date.

Virtual design testing was an essential aspect of the high-performance vehicle's design process. More than 500 cooling and aerodynamic 3D prototypes were analyzed using simulated testing to help the team meet its downforce, braking, and cooling goals.

After identifying the most promising designs, Ford's engineering team used 3D printing services to develop and test prototypes. For example, the team printed and tested over ten prototypes for front splitter wickers, which they could send out for testing at the same time.

Apart from using 3D-printed prototypes for design validation and practical verification, the 2020 Shelby GT500 will have two structural 3D-printed brake parts. Carbon's Digital Light Synthesis (DLS) 3DP and EPX (epoxy) 82 material were used to produce these components, which met all of Ford's performance specifications and criteria.

Through these applications, it's obvious that Ford is setting the groundwork for some pretty great additive manufacturing feats.

"Additive manufacturing is going to become more and more embedded in the everyday part of what we do as a business," Harold Sears, Ford's Technical Leader of AM Technologies, recently explained in AMFG's Expert Interview series." Instead of being an exception to the rule, it would be far more widely acknowledged as the way things are done.”

Soon, it will be exciting to see if Ford manages to use 3D printing technologies to improve vehicle performance.

2. Volkswagen Autoeuropa: Production tools printed in 3D

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Although prototyping is still the predominant use of 3D printing in the automotive industry, the technology's use for tooling is increasingly catching on.

Volkswagen is an exciting example of this, as the business has been using 3D printing services in-house for many years.

In 2014, the firm started testing Ultimaker's desktop 3D printers at the Volkswagen Autoeuropa factory in Portugal to manufacture tooling equipment. Since the pilot's success, Volkswagen has shifted almost exclusively to 3D printing services for tooling output.

Using technologies for this programme has a range of benefits.

Producing the tooling in-house lowers the auto manufacturer's tool manufacturing costs by 90%, reducing lead times from weeks to just a few days.

A tool like a liftgate badge, for example, will reportedly take 35 days to produce using conventional production and cost up to €400. The same tool can be created in four days using 3D printing services for just €10.

Volkswagen saved about €325,000 in 2017 by using 3D printing for tooling while also improving ergonomics, reliability, and operator efficiency.

When it comes to industrial aids, 3D printing in India is quickly gaining traction as an alternative to more traditional manufacturing equipment methods. More automotive OEMs will undoubtedly turn to 3D-printed tooling in the coming years to increase their manufacturing quality and their tools' durability.

3. Local Motors and XEV: on the way to 3D-printed automobiles Although completely 3D-printed vehicles are still a long way off, many companies are working to make them a possibility. Local Motors, based in Arizona, is one organization planning to 3D print online whole cars.

The company rose to fame in 2014 when it unveiled the Strati, which it said was the first 3D-printed electric vehicle, at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS).

The vehicle was designed in partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Cincinnati, Inc. Local Motors launched Olli, a 3D-printed, self-driving electric shuttle designed for local, low-speed transportation, two years later. The shuttle was explicitly created for use in metropolitan areas such as city centres, corporate and university campuses, and hospitals.

So, how did the organization do this?

Most of Olli's parts, including the roof and lower body of the car, were created using some of the world's largest 3D printers, including ORNL's Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) Thermwood's Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) devices.

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On the other hand, Strati was printed in 44 hours using Cincinnati, Inc.'s large-scale 3D printer. The car's wheels and hubcaps were created using a direct metal 3D printing technique.

Local Motors has tried over 2,000 variations of printing material and fortifying additives since the introduction of Olli and can print the entire minibus in around 10 hours.

Local Motors' popularity is attributed to its "digital vehicle manufacturing model."

Through co-creating innovative designs alongside a worldwide group of specialists, this marketing strategy allows the brand to deliver goods to customers in an entirely new manner.

In local micro-factories, the organization produces and assembles vehicles using automated production technology such as 3D printing services.

3D printing is a perfect match for this distributed production paradigm because it allows for rapid design iteration, customization of parts and components on an as-needed basis, saving money and reducing the need to keep inventory.

Although it will take some time to see completely 3D-printed vehicles on the track, ventures like Local Motors' Olli might get us one step closer.

Local Motors is not the only organization interested in 3D-printed vehicles. Similarly, the Italian automaker XEV is using 3D printing to create a low-speed electric LSEV engine.

Using large-format FDM technology and four separate polyamide grades and TPU, the firm can cut manufacturing costs by 70% while still benefiting from the lightweight benefits of 3D printing services.

The finished LSEV weighs just 450 kilogrammes and has only 57 plastic parts, allowing it to be manufactured in days. XEV has already decided to manufacture 2,000 of its own large-format extrusion 3D printers for its factories.

Although the vehicle's mass manufacturing will begin later this year, the Italian postal service, Post Italiane, has already placed pre-orders for 5,000 customized vehicles for its operations.

4. Chasing victory: 3D printing in motorsports In Formula One racing, a race car's performance may also mean the difference between a victory and a defeat. Engineering a competitive race car, on the other hand, is a challenging job, not least because of the high costs involved and the short production time necessary.

Wind tunnel testing is vital in the race car development process. Automakers use wind tunnels to test and fine-tune the aerodynamic properties of racing cars. During the wind tunnel testing period, a car model is put on a treadmill to see how it can do in a simulated racing environment.

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3D printing is now most widely used in motorsports to produce components for testing on this replica racing car. According to reports, the Swiss Alfa Romeo Sauber F1 Team used a 60 per cent scale model of a Formula 1 racing car, with many of its parts 3D printed using SLS and SLA technologies.

Sauber engineers can print parts such as front wings, brake ducts, suspension, and engine covers much quicker and with greater design versatility than conventional manufacturing would afford.

Volkswagen Motorsport, for example, used 3D printing in the development of the electric I.D. R Pikes Peak racing car. With just eight months to design the vehicle, the Volkswagen team focused on 3D printing to expedite the process and reach production deadlines.

Parts for the 50 percent scale model of the I.D. R Pikes Peak car is made using the technology. About 2,000 individual parts for the wind tunnel model have been made, with parts produced in a matter of days rather than weeks, as may be the case for CNC machining or moulding.

3D printing has aided Volkswagen Motorsport in getting the car on the road on time by allowing an incredibly versatile and fast manufacturing process. And their contributions were recently rewarded: the I.D. R Pikes Peak race car rose to break records for the hill climb in Pikes Peak racing last year.

With its demonstrated success in shortening production periods, 3D printing is now finding its way into end-part applications that could provide significant performance advantages to racing teams.

5. Porsche: 3D printing classic car spare parts Spare parts are yet another application of 3D printing in automobiles, which Porsche Classic is ultimately leveraging.

The German automaker's division provides parts for its antique and out-of-production vehicles, and it is using 3D printing to create unusual, low-volume spare parts for its older inventory.

A large portion of these components are no longer manufactured, and the tooling used to produce them either does not exist or is in poor condition. Manufacturing new tooling aids using conventional methods is inherently expensive, particularly given the low volume in question.

Porsche Classic has started to 3D print these parts (in metal and plastic) on-demand to address these issues. The printing method entails melting the metal powder (or sintering for plastics) in a particular pattern with a high-energy laser beam, thus building the threedimensional structure up to one layer at a time.

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The benefit is that parts can be manufactured without any extra equipment and only when required, allowing Porsche to save money on tooling and storage costs associated with manufacturing these spares using traditional methods.

3D printing components that are seldom purchased or are no longer manufactured are growing developments in the automotive supply chain. Mercedes-Benz Trucks, Volkswagen, and BMW are now adopting 3D printing for this use, allowing the automakers to save money, improve operating performance, and optimize inventory.

6. Can 3D-printed motorcycles be used in the future?

So far, corporations have 3D printed car parts and even whole car bodies — so what about motorcycles?

Although there are no commercially available 3D-printed motorcycles on the market yet, there is a range of ventures that provide insight into what motorcycle development may look like in the future.

One of the most well-known examples of the promise of using 3D printing for motorcycle manufacturing is APWORKS' Light Rider.

In 2016, the German company launched a 3D-printed, topologically optimized electric motorcycle. The motorcycle also demonstrates the properties of APWORKS' exclusive Scalmalloy material. The 3D-printed motorcycle frame is 30% lighter than conventional predecessors, thanks to the use of Scalmalloy.

Although APWORKS has seen tremendous progress with the prototype, with many buyers eager to buy the Light Rider, making manufacturing commercially viable remains a challenge.

Another more recent example of a 3D-printed motorcycle comes from BigRep, a German FDM 3D printer maker.

The company's NERA motorcycle — a fully functional prototype — was produced in just 12 weeks and was meant to show the capabilities of 3D printing.

BigRep used large-scale 3D printers and various materials, including PLA, Pro FLEX (a TPU-based flexible material), and engineering-grade ProHT filament, to produce it. The 15 pieces, except for the electronics, were 3D printed, including the rims, base, airless tyres, seat, and a flexible bumper.

While these and other ventures provide an exciting insight into the future of 3D printing for motorcycles, we won't see them on the road for quite some time.

However, the ability of 3D printing in Bangalore to produce lightweight components, increase performance, and allow faster and cheaper development excites us about its possible potential for this use.

Driving The future of automobile production 6/7

Although this list highlights the main application areas for 3D printing services in the automotive industry, it just scratches its potential surface. However, when automakers recognize the technology's ability to give them a competitive advantage, the number of implementations will undoubtedly grow.

Looking ahead, 3D printing Bangalore in automotive will continue to permeate product creation, manufacturing, assembly, and the supply chain, allowing for new prototypes, competitive business models, and, finally, superior automobiles.

Read More : 3D Printing – Revolutionizing the product engineering

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