The automotive industry has always been the key application field of 3D printing technology, and now it has surpassed the aerospace industry to become the industry with the first vertical application of 3D printing. 3D printing technology enables major automotive companies to reduce cost, time and weight when producing complex parts. In addition, 3D printing also brings greater design freedom, and some parts with complex structures can be designed. Given the significant growth of 3D printing in the automotive industry, the value of 3D printing in the automotive industry is expected to reach $12.4 billion by 2028.

The following is a summary of the application of 3D printing technology by major foreign auto brands.

Audi

Audi introduced a printing system from 3D printing company Stratasys a few years ago to speed up car design, i.e. in the R&D phase, 3D print prototypes of various newly designed parts for testing and evaluation. In addition, Audi has also incorporated 3D printers into its production line for the production of hubcaps, grilles, door handles, and rear light bays.

Bentley

Bentley has been expanding the application of 3D printing in automobiles, and they have invested more than 21 million yuan in 3D printing technology. In 2021, they 3D printed more than 15,000 parts for end-use applications, saving not only design and manufacturing time, but also waste. In addition, because Bentley's annual production is low, and some parts require relatively small quantities, the use of 3D printing is economical. In addition to its own benefits, Bentley has enriched its customization services based on 3D printing technology, allowing customers to customize more parts.

BMW

BMW, which has been using 3D printing technology for over 25 years, was one of the first automakers to integrate the technology. In June 2020, they also opened their own 3D printing center with more than 80 employees and more than 50 industrial 3D printers. In the production of the sports car i8 Roadster, BMW also made extensive use of 3D printed parts, which not only achieved light weight, but also increased strength. Components such as the hood brackets became lighter and stronger.

Bugatti

Bugatti, the world's top supercar brand, has also turned to 3D printing technology in order to create the lightest, fastest and most aggressive supercar to date. Their latest supercar, the Bugatti Bolide, uses some 3D printed parts, such as brake calipers, spoiler brackets, and engine brackets. These components generally use complex geometries to achieve light weight while maintaining or improving strength and performance.

Dallara

Dallara, which should be relatively unfamiliar to most, is an Italian car company whose main business is racing. They teamed up with 3D printing company Conflux to make heat exchangers for their Formula 3 cars. Their newly designed 3D-printed version of the heat exchanger conducts heat more efficiently and can also withstand high temperatures.

Ferrari

Many cases have proved that 3D printed parts have a very obvious role in racing cars and super sports cars. With the support of 3D printing, automakers can design and produce lighter, stronger and more efficient parts in a short period of time. As a result, Ferrari has also started using this technology, focusing on metal 3D printing. They topologically optimized some of the original parts and 3D printed them. Such as the piston of the engine, the brake pedal of the hollow structure, etc.

ford

Ford is also a car company that started using 3D printing technology very early. As early as 1988, Ford had purchased 3 3D printers, and now it has established cooperative relations with a number of 3D printing companies. Over 20 years, Ford has 3D printed hundreds of thousands of parts. Their 3D printed aluminium alloy intake manifold is one of the largest 3D printed metal parts available, weighing in at 6kg. In addition, Ford has introduced a special wheel nut that can only be unscrewed by the matching tool, thus preventing the wheel from being stolen.

Lamborghini

Lamborghini is also very active in the application of 3D printing, because 3D printing not only saves costs, but also speeds up production. It has also enhanced Lamborghini's bespoke service capabilities, allowing their supercars to offer customers highly personalised bespoke services. For example, the air outlet of the air conditioner allows for a variety of shapes, and many interiors in the car can also be customized.

McLaren

McLaren is also very knowledgeable about 3D printing, and in creating the Artura high-performance hybrid supercar, McLaren combined technology, design and performance to produce a variety of parts using metal 3D printing. For example, the engine block and cylinder head core are 3D printed, allowing the engine to be better cooled, thereby improving performance. In addition, reducing the weight of the entire vehicle is also their key goal, for which the design team 3D printed a lighter frame using carbon fiber material.

Benz

Mercedes-Benz is currently focusing on 3D printing on trucks. They 3D printed some metal parts, mainly some parts that are replaced more frequently. In this way, service providers all over the world can 3D print by themselves and realize localized production. At the same time, it can also be customized according to the characteristics of different regions.

Michelin

Michelin has been researching the possibility of 3D printing tires. It has previously released a 3D printed spherical tire, but it is a conceptual tire, and it will take some time to realize it. At present, they are focusing on the development of 3D printed airless tires, and they have also achieved good results in road tests. Their plan is to commercialize airless tires in 2024.

MINI

From 2017 to 2021, MINI launched a customization service where users can choose from different accessories. And these accessories are produced through 3D printing, mainly for decoration.

Porsche

Porsche started using 3D printing technology as early as the early 90s, and they have made good progress in 3D printing projects in recent years, such as the piston of the Porsche 911 GT2 high-performance engine, the weight of the electric motor housing and so on. They also invested in a 3D printing company last year.