News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Czinger Vehicles has revealed for the first time two pathbreaking never-before-seen additions to its line-up at The Quail during Monterey Car Week: the 21C V Max and Hyper GT. The company is known for its pioneering and extensive use of additive manufacturing and unique digital workflow in producing its cars’ frames.
Aston Martin has chosen the 2022 Monterey Car Week to unveil the spectacular DBR22 for the first time: a V12-engined two-seater coach-built design concept, celebrating the marque’s extraordinary bloodline of open-cockpit sports racers. Among other key innovations, the DBR22 features a 3D printed rear subframe.
Automotive Trim Developments (ATD), a group of companies focused on the engineering and manufacture of complete interior trim and electro-mechanical assemblies to the automotive and other transport industries, has installed two EOS M 290 metal 3D printers.
We have been arguing on these pages that the incredible dominance of Mercedes in Formula 1 for the past decade was due in part to the team’s ability to heavily implement AM for both development and optimized parts (and we’ve had sources confirm this). We’ve also argued that Scuderia Ferrari’s failures during the past decade were due to the team’s reticence in adopting AM technology, especially in terms of reliability. Things seem to be turning around with the 066/7 power unit of the new F1 75 car for the 2022 season.
Sakuu Corporation, developer of the world’s first rapid printed battery, today announces that its first-generation non-printed lithium metal battery has achieved continuous 3C discharge rate under extensive testing, marking yet another achievement on the road to mass 3D printed solid state batteries.
The Stellantis group has been eyeing 3D printing for some time, especially through the activities of its French PSA (which includes PEUGEOT and Citroën) component. PSA has made deals with Divergent 3D and introduced experimental printed parts – even metal ones, – for Citroën cars. The Italian-Amerian side of the company, FCA, has been working on prototyping for over two decades, with the famous example of the Alfa Giulia’s front grill. More recently the company has been working with MJF technology for production components on its Jeep branded cars and other long-term conceptual projects. Now it’s all coming together with commercial MJF 3D printed accessories for the PEUGEOT 308.
Sauber Technologies has extended its technology partnership with metal additive manufacturing leader, Additive Industries for a further three years. Sauber Technologies has been using Additive Industries’ MetalFAB platform for metal additive manufacturing (AM) since 2017, with a current count of four systems in-house as the company embarks on new, ambitious projects for third-party customers. Sauber Technologies is also part of the same group as Alfa Romeo F1 Team ORLEN.
Czinger Vehicles is expanding its global reach, with H.R. Owen as its first international retail partner and exclusive Czinger dealer in the U.K. The alignment opens up the European market to the Los Angeles-based automotive brand as sales begin for its first production car, the pathbreaking 21C, a marvel of modern engineering which integrated dozens of 3D printed parts in its body structure.
Airtech Advanced Materials Group, a leading manufacturer of composite tooling solutions, has announced that it has been named a Brumos Racing Technical Partner. Airtech has teamed up with BBi Autosport to produce 3D printed molds and composite production parts for a newly updated Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport racecar, for the Brumos Racing team. Helmed by racing legend David Donohue, and brandishing the Brumos Racing livery, this state-of-the-art vehicle can be seen in competition at the 100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb on June 26, 2022.
When General Motors was unable to produce a component needed for the delivery of the 2022 Chevrolet Tahoe, the company’s engineers turned to 3D printing, as many companies facing supply chain challenges are doing, increasingly.