From the past few years, 3D printing in the automotive industry is booming. Whether there is a demand for newer and better vehicles or the need for businesses to optimize their current inventory, 3D printing is helping the automotive industry 360°.
A report by SmartTech Publishing states that the revenue in the 3D printing automotive market would be a whopping $600 million by the end of this year. 3D printing in the automotive has transformed the production of higher-end vehicles and military vehicles.
3D printing in Melbourne has significantly changed how automobiles are designed, developed, and manufactured. Right from prototyping to developing spare parts, 3D printing is used everywhere. It reduces the turn around time and the cost that was incurred by producing automobiles by conventional methods.
Zeal3Dprinting is not the owner or creator of the image. Image source: (Aston Martin)
Having said that, let see the different 3D printing processes for the automotive industry and how to select them.
- Prototyping
Before the advent of 3D printing technologies, prototyping use to be a time consuming and expensive affair. With online 3D printing in Melbourne, scalable prototypes can be created in a day at a much lower cost.
3D printing is most commonly used in rapid prototyping as it increases the speed at which prototyping could be done. 3D print in automotive helps the designers to turn an idea into a concrete mockup. These mockups then can be transcended to scalable prototypes — whether it is a spare part or a full-fledged car and can be sent for a series of quality checks before mass production.
- Preproduction, Sampling, and Tooling
Automotive engineers use 3D printing to make molds and thermoforming tools, grips, jigs, and fixtures. It also allows designers to make tools at a rapid and cost-effective rate. Furthermore, additive manufacturing cuts the complexity and losses incurred in the mass production of heavy and high costing tools. It further makes the whole process seamless and hassle-free. These days, new 3D printing materials are used to replace the metal parts with 3D plastic parts to test the tool before validation.
- Helps in Creating Customized Parts and Spare Parts
Spare parts always have been a problem in the automotive industry. The demand to supply ratio is skewed, and in some cases, the spare parts get pretty expensive. Hence, to solve this problem, manufactures have started using 3D printing services in Melbourne.
As an instance, Popular automobile manufacturers such as formula 1 and Koenigsegg have already started using 3D printing for creating customized parts. Even the Porche classic division is using 3D printing in Australia to develop spare parts for rare vehicles that may not be readily available.
With the help of 3D printers, a spare part or a customized part could be easily manufactured in-store, cutting down on the need to have an inventory. This will also encourage manufacturers to open new spaces to supply 3D printed vehicles or parts.
Zeal3Dprinting is not the owner or creator of the image. Image source: (3dmodelsz)
Are You Using 3D Printing in Manufacturing Your Parts?
3D printing services in Melbourne is making its mark in every stage of automobile manufacturing. It is helping companies to manufacture components and spare parts by reducing cost and improving efficiency.
With that said, at Zeal 3D printing, we provide 3D printing, 3D designing, 3D scanning, and manufacturing services at cost-effective rates. We’re clients from all industry verticals such as medical, schools, automotive, architecture, and so on.
If you’re considering using 3D printing, contact us today to know how we can help you take your brand to the next level.