News and Insights of 3D Printing and Manufacturing
For decades, Britain automotive brand MINI has kept its vehicles stylish, timeless and, of course, mini. But the continued popularity isn’t by mere chance, as MINI has diligently stayed the course, knowing what its customers want and delivering on those wants. The latest car model to be introduced by MINI is the Cooper S GT Edition. The limited edition car has just been launched in France.
Direct metal and polymer part 3D printing may still require several years to establish itself as a true production technology. PBF systems – especially the metal ones – still have to overcome several challenges limiting their productivity while production-ready binder jetting technologies still need to hit the market entirely. On the other hand, there are almost no real reasons why sand binder jetting technologies for mold-making and tooling are not yet widely adopted (other than a general and still widespread lack of awareness). This may finally be changing as one of the leading manufacturers of said technology, voxeljet, closed a major deal with a German automaker to bring up to 20-30 VJET X systems in-house over the next ten year period, starting with two in 2019 and three more shortly thereafter.
Presented at the BMW AG Annual General Meeting, the new BMW Vision iNEXT project (now officially going into production as the new iX range) is set to take the company’s early moves in all-electric mobility – which began with BMW i3 in 2013 and define how we will move around in the future. The mass customization of parts made possible by 3D printing – something that BMW is intensively experimenting with and investing on for its “i” fleet – will play a central role. In particular, in the first BMW Vision iNEXT concept, it will be shaping custom smart controls through it kidney grille and “four-eyed” front end.
GKN Powder Metallurgy revealed a strategic collaboration with HP Inc. at the 2018 International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS). The company will be the first to deploy the just-launched HP Metal Jet, a groundbreaking binder jetting technology, into its factories to produce functional metal parts for auto and industrial leaders, including Volkswagen and Wilo, and for companies around the world.
Stratasys is furthering its collaboration with Team Penske, a competitive motorsports team that competes in NASCAR, IndyCar and three other racing series. The technical partnership was originally formed in February 2017.
Volkswagen, one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, is inviting designers and innovators to come up with 3D printable designs to take its I.D. Buzz vehicle to the next level. The crowdsourcing initiative, called Print your Buzz, is hosted via the open innovation platform jovoto and aims to generate original and innovative ideas for “customizable and/or functional” elements for the VW van.
There is no question that additive manufacturing has been a dream technology for restorers of vintage or rare cars. Our latest example of how the two fields have overlapped beautifully is coming from the Goodwood Revival automotive festival, where an ultra-rare, fully restored Alfa Romeo Tipo 33/3 sports car will be on show.
Renowned French car manufacturer Bugatti recently unveiled its newest super sports car model, the Divo, much to the excitement of the automotive world. The car, which premiered at The Quail: A Motorsports Gathering event in Monterey, California, was released in an extremely limited series (only 40 vehicles were made). Even priced at €5 million a unit, the stunning sports car sold out almost immediately.
Industrial 3D printer manufacturer Voxeljet has offered a glimpse at its newest development, the VJET X-IOB additive manufacturing system. The innovative product, says the company, is the world’s first fully automated 3D production solution and can offer manufacturers an alternative to traditional serial production processes.
Though the aerospace industry has been a fertile sector for the exploration and adoption of metal additive manufacturing technologies, the automotive industry has remained somewhat more restrained. That is not to say that 3D printing isn’t being used in automotive production—it is being investigated by most if not all car manufacturers—though adoption has been limited due to a number of factors, including productivity and cost-per-part.