How Divergent Blade Became Czinger 21C, a Hypercar Built without Tools

How Divergent Blade Became Czinger 21C, a Hypercar Built without Tools

by Automotive

In the beginning, it was the Blade, a concept hypercar featuring the first fully 3D printed frame and a number of other 3D printed parts. That early concept was used by the startup Divergent 3D to raise funds and acquire multiple production metal 3D printers from SLM Solutions; today it has evolved into the Czinger 21C a finished hypercar, the first such vehicle ever built using no tools and featuring an unprecedented number of fully 3D printed parts.

Sakuu Corporation Awarded Patents for Solid State EV Battery 3D Printing

Sakuu Corporation Awarded Patents for Solid State EV Battery 3D Printing

by Automotive

Sakuu Corporation (previously KeraCel Inc.), a specialist in automated multi-process additive manufacturing, obtained three patents related to EV battery 3D printing; a hybrid solid-state cell with a sealed anode structure, an additive manufacturing system with the ability to create an active device such as a micro-reactor or solid-state battery, and an electrophotographic multi-material 3D printer.

Should Lockheed Martin and GM Look to SLM Solutions and Local Motors for Their Lunar Rover

Should Lockheed Martin and GM Look to SLM Solutions and Local Motors for Their Lunar Rover

by Automotive

Only 5% of the Moon’s surface has been explored by the human race, and to reach the other 95%, NASA astronauts on the Artemis program are going to need some serious wheels. That’s why Lockheed Martin and General Motors have teamed up to design a next-generation lunar rover, capable of transporting astronauts across farther distances on the lunar surface. While the rover doesn’t need to be lightweight to travel around the Moon, it will certainly have to be extremely lightweight in order to be transported from the Earth’s surface (where it will likely be assembled, until there will be AM factories available in space) to the surface of the Moon. For this endeavor, Lockheed Martin and GM—with both companies already quite familiar with using AM—may want to turn to SLM Solutions. The metal AM hardware manufacturer has built up experience with building both lunar rovers and cars.

50% of Lamborghini Cars Off the Production Line Have Ad Personam Features

50% of Lamborghini Cars Off the Production Line Have Ad Personam Features

by Automotive

Today more than 50% of Lamborghini cars coming off the production line feature at least one Ad Personam feature. At Bugatti, not one car that leaves the Atelier is like the next, having the highest degree of individualization. It should come as no surprise that VW brands Lamborghini and Bugatti are the ones that have conducted the most experimentation with 3D printed parts, among the established supercar brands.

Bugatti Refines Perfection with Ultra-Optimized Bolide 3D Printed Parts

Bugatti Refines Perfection with Ultra-Optimized Bolide 3D Printed Parts

by Automotive

Imagine ultra-lightweight components that are as strong as a reinforced concrete column. Now, as Volkswagen reports in its new blog, this is possible, thanks to technology-led by Bugatti engineers. The newly developed 3D printed pushrod – a pressure-loaded coupling rod in the chassis area – weighs just 100 grams and can transmit forces of up to 3.5 tonnes. The hollow titanium structure with an internal supporting arch gives incredible strength and is yet another AM breakthrough among several Bolide 3D printed parts recently introduced by Bugatti.

BMW Quietly Wraps Up MINI Yours Customised Service

BMW Quietly Wraps Up MINI Yours Customised Service

by Automotive

What was a promising experiment in automotive 3D printing has apparently come to an end. While doing some follow-up research for our upcoming Automotive AM eBook, I clicked onto the MINI Yours Customised home page, eager for an update on the personalization service launched by BMW back in 2018. Sadly, I was greeted by a succinct message, stating that the custom automotive program was no longer.

Ford Adopts Form 3L 3D Printers from Formlabs

Ford Adopts Form 3L 3D Printers from Formlabs

by Automotive

Ford Spain is the first car manufacturer in Europe to use the Form 3L, a larger format 3D printer from photopolymerization 3D printer OEM Formlabs. Ford Body and Assembly in Valencia uses the Form 3L to produce plastic caps that are used in a vacuum test to check engines for leakages. 3D printing helps Ford to prototype new tools and produce specific parts in less time and for a lower cost than with traditional manufacturing.