To remain competitive, success and growth depend on ongoing innovation. The Harvard Business Review discovered in May of last year that today's global R&D spending is ten times more than global advertising spending. However, many traditional manufacturers may still view incorporating digital technology into their processes as an insurmountable obstacle because it will have significant financial ramifications that may not always be feasible. As a result, they may find it difficult to know how to compete.
Due to the larger quantity of parts needed during production, the automotive industry may be one where this is particularly true. Leading manufacturers are turning to additive manufacturing (AM) to shorten the product development cycle and conserve resources like time and energy. Automotive production workflows are already being changed by additive manufacturing, which affects everything from R&D to supply chain and production.
Iterative Research and Development
For automotive manufacturers, additive manufacturing has transformed research and development. It is being utilized more frequently to speed up the prototype process, cut down on development time, and produce cutting-edge parts that would be impossible to produce using conventional methods. 80 to 90 percent of each initial prototype assembly has been 3D printed at several major auto manufacturers. Air intake, parts of the exhaust system, and ducting are some of the most widely used pieces. These components are rapidly 3D printed, fitted to a car using digital design, and evaluated after numerous iterations. Rapid prototyping allows a streamlined development process and faster delivery of the finished product.
Avoiding Supply Chain Disruption
Just-in-time manufacturing, which reduces the need for expensive warehouse space by having huge amounts of parts arrive at the production line just before assembly, is used by most major car manufacturers. If a manufacturer's supply chain is disrupted, AM can make it easier to build production parts locally.
For instance, the tooling for the box containing the engine control unit (ECU) was improperly manufactured during a recently anticipated launch of a new car. The introduction of this new car was therefore scheduled to be postponed. AM was used to bypass the expensive wait period for new tooling from a third-party supplier. ECUs were housed in boxes made utilizing direct digital manufacture for the first few hundred automobiles made in that run. An end-use manufacturing part was produced using a 3D-printed version of the CAD file in a fraction of the time required for re-tooling.
Customization in the Specialty Car Industry
One of the most fascinating cases of part production in the real world is with manufacturers of specialty cars like sports cars, luxury cars, and hypercars. For the most discriminating clientele, these manufacturers create high-end, luxurious, and exotic cars in small quantities. They are searching for innovative ways to produce parts for these cars because of the unique vehicles they produce.
In this instance, AM is being utilized to produce complex, specialized items manufactured to the unique requirements of the buyer as well as customized brackets, spacers, and grommets. Making custom inscriptions for interior elements like the dashboard or doors is a perfect example.
AM Fueling the Rise of Electric Vehicles
Consumers are increasingly choosing electric cars (EVs) as a more "environmentally friendly" form of transportation. The use of batteries in place of internal combustion engines has not eliminated the need for weight reduction and engine cooling from the manufacturing process for automotive.
The batteries that power EVs continue to be one of the heavier components of the car despite recent improvements to lower their weight. The performance and efficiency of the car are affected by increased weight. Engineers are therefore looking for ways to minimize weight in each component when they develop it for these vehicles. Engineers are forced to reconsider how they build components as a result of Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM), which enables them to generate parts in ways that aren't feasible with conventional methods. As a result, parts with unique geometries can be created as a single final part as opposed to several sections requiring assembly, frequently at a decreased weight. As a result, the powertrain is not put under as much strain, which extends the range of the car.
Another innovation made possible by AM is a 3D-printed cooling jacket that serves as a heat exchanger. The electric motor and battery of an EV can produce a lot of heat, particularly when charging. The motor and battery of the car were scanned by a designer who then used AM software to optimize the design and a 3D printer to build the item. This cooling jacket's custom design pulls heat away from these crucial car parts, reducing wear and tear and extending their useful lives. This is one area that has enormous future potential if automakers continue to adopt AM.
Helping Automakers Pioneer in the Fast Lane
In the automotive industry, it is standard practice to aim to innovate better than competitors while cutting overall costs. Precise, dependable technological solutions are necessary for thorough, innovative design and engineering; this is where additive manufacturing (AM) may play a crucial role. Additive manufacturing is altering several applications, including developing unique parts for one-of-a-kind creations, and creating replacement parts for classic cars. It complements established technologies in an automotive production workflow. As a result, productivity is increased and the time needed to complete a part is decreased, which speeds up innovation and competitive advantage. Automakers all around the world are recognizing the advantages that AM can offer and the enormous potential it has for producing parts and cars in ways that have never been possible.
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