Altair, APWorks, CSI Entwicklungstechnik, EOS GmbH, GERG and Heraeus have teamed up to demonstrate the full value of additive manufacturing in the automotive industry by completely redesigning the front end structure of a classic VW pick-up.
What they ended up with was a very lightweight, sturdy front end structure that its seamlessly integrated into the pick-up. As a collective, known as 3i-Print, they took this project from the drawing board to a completed product in just only 9 months.
Goals for the Additive Manufacturing process
There is no doubt that with the continuing development of metal additive manufacturing will play a key role in automotive manufacturing. Their main goal throughout the project was to show just how effective metal additive manufacturing can be by exploiting its benefits: Free material selection, flexibility, without tools, functional integration, media storage, thermal management, load path and crash optimized topology, & creative freedom.
The Real Value in Additive Manufacturing in the Automotive industry
The central point of the value in am for the automotive industry for the 3i_Print team is the ability to seamlessly add as many technical features possible with as few structures as possible. While taking advantage of the benefits of metal AM and automotive physics, the 3i_Print team was able to create this beautifully crafted and functional front end structure for this VW pick-up. There is no doubt that the automotive industry is moving in the right direction as far as manufacturing. Who knows what vehicles might look like in the future when this technology is fully implemented into the entire manufacturing process. Click here to see more of the 3i-Print team’s process, and be sure to check out the video, below.
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