News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
Aeronautics company Airbus has partnered with LM Industries to form a new company dedicated to local mobility and autonomy, Neorizon. The mobility startup will operate a microfactory designed to rapidly and efficiently build products for new transportation and mobility solutions.
The increasing variant intensity in small series, the reduction in the time-to-market in development, and the demand for material efficiency are all opportunities for introducing metal 3D printing in the automotive industry. This is why the EDAG Group, the world’s largest independent engineering service provider for the automotive industry, and nine leading partners, are carrying out the StaVari research project into a fully integrated process chain for the additive manufacture of complex components using an innovative steel grade.
Stratasys has today launched its new Performance Partner Program, which will bring together teams and companies from across auto racing, competitive sailing and next-gen supersonic travel to advance additive manufacturing technologies and applications. The program’s partners include Team Penske, Andretti Autosports, McLaren Autosports, American Magic, Boom Supersonic and more.
WASP, the first and leading Italian manufacturer of advanced Delta 3D printers, has been pushing the additive manufacturing industry in new directions since it was founded by Massimo Moretti in 2012. The company’s latest evolutions are now heading towards leveraging the consolidated and highly reliable kinematics of its delta systems to address industrial-level end-use part production. With the introduction of the new Delta WASP INDUSTRIAL 4.0 line, the company supports the use of production-grade materials – such as Nylon Carbon – for a growing range of products. One such application highlights the versatility and accessibility of the Delta WASP 2040 INDUSTRIAL 4.0 for a racing team – competing in the Campionato Italiano Velocità (Italian Speed Championship) – to bring, for the first time, a 3D printer inside the box, producing real racing parts.
A UK-based team of engineers from Jaguar Land Rover are putting their skills to work by designing a lightweight 3D printed glove that can be worn by people working on the company’s production line. The glove—part of the team’s effort to create next-gen protective workplace gear—could help to prevent musculoskeletal disorders caused by production line duties.
Cincinnati Incorporated, an Ohio-based machine equipment manufacturer, has signed a 10-year partnership agreement with NASCAR racing team Hendrick Motorsports. The agreement will see Cincinnatti Inc. become the 12-time NASCAR Cup Series champion’s official Metal Fabrication and Additive Equipment provider.
Lamborghini is an adopter of 3D printing – that is known. The company has been using the technology for prototyping for several years, although this was never officially confirmed beyond a Lamborghini placed inside the Energy Group (an Italian Stratasys distributor) booth at several AM shows. Lamborghini even went public with a production application using Carbon’s DLS technology for its Urus SUV. The latest Lamborghini model presented ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show (could the location suggest something, with Formnext on the way?), the Lamborghini Sián FKP37, packs all the latest automotive technologies and – for the first time – introduces a number of 3D printed final parts (likely produced with Carbon’s technology like the Urus). That makes sense since it is also the most customizable Lamborghini ever.
It’s clear when looking at the Zeus 8 motorcycle that it is not your run-of-the-mill chopper. With a dramatic elongated body and exposed battery cylinders, the electric motorcycle is a vehicle that even non-motorcycle-enthusiasts can gawk at. The impressive sickle, designed by Alabama-based Curtiss Motorcycles, has been in development for some time and is now finally approaching production—thanks in large part to hybrid manufacturing company Fast Radius.
Earlier this year, France-based custom motorbike manufacturer VIBA unveiled a contemporary reimagining of the classic 1970s Honda Monkey motorcycle. The bike, called “Jane,” draws inspiration from the original vehicle’s retro aesthetic but adds more modern touches, including a series of aluminum 3D printed parts.
Volvo Trucks North America announced this week that it has adopted 3D printing for the production of tools and fixtures. The 3D printed components are being used at its New River Valley (NRV) facility in Dublin, Virginia, where all trucks for the North American market are manufactured. Since implementing additive manufacturing for tooling, the automotive company says it has already experienced faster production rates and continuous quality improvements.