The U.S. automaker company Ford is testing large-scale 3-D printing technology
for car parts that could allow drivers to customize cars for a lower price, the
company said on Monday.
Ford says 3-D printing could be a "breakthrough for vehicle
manufacturing", touting benefits that include efficiency, lower costs, and
the ability to test prototype parts and components for low-volume models like
racecars.
Making just a small batch of car parts at the moment is expensive and
inefficient. But, with 3-D printing, Ford will test out new designs, and will
allow to personalize parts like spoilers for individual customers, which at this
moment would be costly.
Ford also informed that the 3-D printed plastic parts would be lighter than
current materials which will lead to greater fuel efficiency. For the tests, the
company is using the Stratasys Infinite Build 3-D printer (Minnesota-based 3-D
printing firm), becoming the first automaker to pilot the technology.
The technology can be recognized as a big future business with spending on
the hardware along with associated software, materials and services that are
set to reach $28.9 billion in 2020, which is more than twice compared with
around 13.2 billion last year, according to research from IDC.
With 3-D printing, design specifications are sent directly from a computer
to the printer. It then prints one layer of material at a time and finish eventually
with creating a 3-D object. For the replacement of the raw material a robotic
arm can be used, allowing for the machine to operate unattended for several
days, Ford said.
However Ford is not the only automaker testing out this technology. Last
year, Germany's Daimler announced its plans to use 3-D printing in order to
produce spare parts, while French firm Peugeot signed a deal with Divergent 3D,
so it will develop metal printing processes for the production of its vehicles.