The automotive industry is relatively young. It took a long while to get from the first steam-powered cars to the cars we know and love today. However, in that time, we saw several significant industry advances.
One such advancement is the introduction of 3D printing. While still not used by all manufacturers, 3D printing has shown many benefits. Here are some of the main advantages of 3D printing in the automotive industry:
1. It’s Much Quicker than Traditional Manufacturing Methods
Perhaps the main advantage of 3D printing in the automotive industry is that it can save time. Speed of innovation is a huge advantage of 3D printing. Traditionally, creating a prototype would take a minimum of a couple of weeks or even months; however, with the SLS Process, or 3D printing, you can quickly create, alter, and change models all within a day. This maximizes the productivity of your innovation cycle.
2. It Can Be Used to Create Spare Parts
While many dreams of owning a classic vehicle, they’re not all they’re cut out to be. They might look great, but classic cars have their downsides. One of the most significant downsides is that spare parts for these vehicles are extremely difficult to get hold of. Most spare parts are no longer produced; very few people create replicas.
Thankfully, 3D printing can help with this. 3D printing can be used to replicate parts quickly and easily. To do this, you must scan the amount you want to copy before printing it using a 3D printer. What could be easier?
3. You Can Create Lighter Parts
In the past, car parts had to be made from specific materials. These materials were often heavy, impacting the car’s performance. However, 3D-printed parts can be made out of almost any material you can think of. This means that automotive manufacturers have the opportunity to create lighter elements, which can improve the performance of their vehicles.
4. It Allows You to Be More Creative
Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques, which are restricted in the types of shapes you can produce, 3D printing can produce almost any shape you can think of. Thanks to CAD (computer-aided design), objects can be made without space limitations. Designers can create drains, holes, facilities, and more, allowing them to build customized 3D objects. This opens up a limitless world of possibilities for manufacturers.
5. You Can Customize the Interiors
Another huge benefit of 3D printing is that automobile manufacturers can use it to create customized interiors for their clients. They can sit down with their clients to discuss precisely what they want their car’s interior to look like before using a 3D printer to create it. This means that they can make cars that are unique to the owner.
6. It’s Much Better for the Environment
Over the last few years, we’ve all heard how important it is to care for the Environment around us. We are at a critical point in the earth’s life; if we do not start looking after it now, it will not survive for future generations.
However, unfortunately, until now, most manufacturing businesses found this challenging to do. This is because very few manufacturing processes were good for the Environment.
Thankfully, this is starting to change. 3D printing is one example of this. 3D printing is an additive manufacturing process that does not produce waste. Instead of removing material to create a product, the material is added layer by layer and only to what you need. This means that waste is eliminated, reducing your impact on the Environment.
7. It Allows You to Create Custom Tools
One of the main priorities for manufacturers is efficiency in the production line. Most car manufacturers utilize aids such as customized fixtures and jigs to make manufacturing more reliable and straightforward. However, creating these aids can be difficult.
This is where 3D printing comes in. 3D printing can create an aid that does exactly what you need. These tools can help to improve worker safety and reduce cycle times. As well as this, they are much cheaper and quicker to produce through 3D printing.
Throughout history, the automobile industry has been one of the most receptive to emerging technologies. Most recently, we have seen the introduction of technologies like 3D printing. While still not used widely in the automotive industry, 3D printing can transform the industry.