[mukeshgoel]

Originally Posted by turbospooler

I have a business idea related to 3D printing.
Why not buy a 3D printer and approach all luxury & premium car makers that we will support their service centres with quick spare part availability by 3D printing them.

Luxury and premium car makers can install 3D printers at their service centers. If it is too expensive, they can at least install one 3D printer at their base location in India.

Why will they give their precious designs to an outsider who can sell the parts later at a cheaper price without involving them.

[turbospooler]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Luxury and premium car makers can install 3D printers at their service centers. If it is too expensive, they can at least install one 3D printer at their base location in India.

Why will they give their precious designs to an outsider who can sell the parts later at a cheaper price without involving them.

I guess the cost of procurement will not be the driver for decision as compared to the Total Cost of Ownership which attributes the procurement as just 20% of the overall cost.
Hence, instead of dedicating floor space and a manpower for running the machine, why not outsource it and just pay as you go.
Also, to highlight the security from information theft, the SLA can include a clause for immediate deletion of the design details, as mentioned earlier by me.
But again, as I understand from your concern, this will work if there is trust in the vendor relationship.

[Aditya]

General Motors (GM) in partnership with Stratasys India has launched a 3D printing programme for GM’s design employees in Bangalore. The aim of the programme is to help help GM design team utilize 3D printing technology.

The three-month exercise gives GM designers the opportunity to compete to create 3D printed structures to better understand how 3D technology can support their work. They will also learn how to develop their own 3D designs to provide better solutions for GM customers.

The program is being carried out in stages:

1. A two-day workshop took place in August for 15 GM designers, led by artist and teacher Ravi Kumar Kashi at the Stratasys 3D Printing Experience Center in Bangalore.
   
2. The 15 designers have two months to conceptualize and create their models.
   
3. A jury consisting of professionals from Stratasys and GM along with other industry veterans will judge the models based on the uniqueness of the idea, aesthetics, attention to detail and potential to develop the idea as an executable design. The announcement of the best model will be made in November, with the winning design 3D printed by Stratasys and displayed at both the GM office and the Stratasys 3D Printing Experience Center in Bangalore.

[GTO]

3D printing comes to Mumbai, guys! More details in the opening post of this thread (Pics & Report: 2015 Autocar Performance Show, Mumbai).

[Rehaan]

Originally Posted by Aditya

General Motors (GM) in partnership with Stratasys India has launched a 3D printing programme for GM’s design employees in Bangalore. The aim of the programme is to help help GM design team utilize 3D printing technology.

This time Ford is taking advantage of Stratasys's 3D printers. Specifically, their "Infinite Build" printer.

As the name would suggest, you can print practically and shape and length on this system.

As is always the case with 3D printing, possibilities are endless, but applications are limited

Ford says they could print customized parts (eg. spoilers) or small-runs of performance parts (where 3D printing works out cheaper than manufacturing).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZN8zA95zv0

[sgiitk]

3D printers are the hot thing. People want to use them everywhere.

What comes out is a plastic unit which has to be then used as a blank to be cast in metal or whatever. How good will the final product be is a tough question to answer. In the case of rare and antique cars this approach may be useful, and possibly the only one, but for routine parts I am a sceptic.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

What comes out is a plastic unit which has to be then used as a blank to be cast in metal or whatever. How good will the final product be is a tough question to answer. In the case of rare and antique cars this approach may be useful, and possibly the only one, but for routine parts I am a sceptic.

"Routine parts" are being 3D printed by all major aircraft manufacturers and stuck on commercial jetliners. The only questions is why is the car industry lacking behind?

Mind you, the speed of innovation in 3D printing technique is mind boggling. Our little 3D printer we bought a few Harare ago is already completely obsolete.

Jeroen

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

"Routine parts" are being 3D printed by all major aircraft manufacturers and stuck on commercial jetliners. The only questions is why is the car industry lacking behind?

A few examples:

http://aviationweek.com/technology/a...ame-structures

http://www.airbusgroup.com/int/en/st...-printing.html

https://3dprinting.com/aviation/

To quote:

The FAA already cleared GE Aviation's first 3D printed part to fly and as of March 2015, Boeing approximately has more than twenty thousand non-metallic additive manufactured parts that are on airplanes they've delivered to their customers

So again, I’m not sure why the car industry isn’t adapting to 3D technology much faster.

Jeroen

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

"Routine parts" are being 3D printed by all major aircraft manufacturers and stuck on commercial jetliners. The only questions is why is the car industry lacking behind?

The answer lies in your query itself. What is the annual production of even the most popular plane as compared to a not so popular car. The ratio must be a few 1000:1 in favour of the car. Then every aircraft part has to go through a battery of tests before being put into use. In case of car parts, at best a sample is tested!

Next you will claim that some spaceship parts are manufactured using these techniques. It is a simple matter of 'horses for courses'. I do see this technique becoming economically viable for the mass produced automobile in at least a decade.

I wish I am wrong but doubt it!

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

The answer lies in your query itself. What is the annual production of even the most popular plane as compared to a not so popular car. The ratio must be a few 1000:1 in favour of the car. Then every aircraft part has to go through a battery of tests before being put into use. In case of car parts, at best a sample is tested!

Sure enough, more cars get produced than planes, but you don’t elaborate on what the real problem is then?

Here are some answers:

http://machinedesign.com/3d-printing...-manufacturing


https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/...ustry-2-82838/

Love the BMW thumb tool

Jeroen

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

What is the annual production of even the most popular plane as compared to a not so popular car. The ratio must be a few 1000:1 in favour of the car. Then every aircraft part has to go through a battery of tests before being put into use. In case of car parts, at best a sample is tested!
It is a simple matter of 'horses for courses'. I do see this technique becoming economically viable for the mass produced automobile in at least a decade.

I wish I am wrong but doubt it!

You are right Sir, I had an interaction with the 3D printing team in my ex-company for a year or so and could see it from a close distance. It is not as simple as it is thought, time consumption is more and the cost of raw materials is also high when we look at using this for mass production. It is good at the moment for a designer to get a physical feel of his design.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by deehunk

You are right Sir, I had an interaction with the 3D printing team in my ex-company for a year or so and could see it from a close distance. It is not as simple as it is thought, time consumption is more and the cost of raw materials is also high when we look at using this for mass production. It is good at the moment for a designer to get a physical feel of his design.

Sure,
Still, a high volume/mass production industry such as the car industry typically has a huge impact on production technology in terms of cost per unit, speed, quality, reliability etc.

Still most manufacturing industries are expecting a huge impact from 3D technology in the next 3-5 years. And this comes from a year old research from PWC.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/louisco.../#69f31efe7dfd

The above Forbes article also mentions it as a disruptive technology. In particular for the whole of the logistical chain. It’s easy to see why. One of the barriers of faster adoption is lack of skills and understanding in the company. That goes right up to board level.

Personally I think this whole 3D printing is a huge technological game changer. Much bigger say then self driving cars. It’s very easy to see how this technology can affect just every part of our daily personal and professional life.
When I visited Stanford University a few years ago, the place was hopping with all sorts of initiatives around 3D printing.

A few weeks ago I visited a model build exhibition. Lot of guys were using 3D printing techniques for enhancing their plastic/metal models. Nobody has a printer. But these are services that are just offered online already. Affordable for a guy building model planes/tanks etc. I was hugely impressed by the detailing, quality and cost of these parts.

I was a bit too early with buying our 3D printer. It was good fun, and we managed to produce some parts for some of our classic cars. We were trying to copy the various clips that holds panels and carpet and such in place. Most of these are made of a plasticy (sometimes nylon) material, relative easy shapes. Many get brittle over time. So when you remove some trim or panels on an old car they often snap. Some are still available, some are not.

So we decided to print them ourselves. Limited succes, mainly due to the fact we could not get the required elasticity in the end result. But 3D printing has come a long way since our amateur first tries a couple of years ago. One thing though, I don’t think I will need to invest in a 3D printer myself. Everywhere companies are starting up offering 3D printing services, with easy scanning software as well.

Jeroen

[RM Motorsports]

Bugatti tests 3D printed titanium brake calipers at over 350 kmph.

https://www.bugatti.com/media/news/2...m-3-d-printer/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_r5oXQ4B8U

[sarathlal]

The son got excited playing Forza horizon and asked his dad to get him an Aventador.
The dad took the request seriously and printed out on for him!

Sterling Backus is a PhD physicist who is using all his skills, and locally sourced materials, to build an Aventador for his son; complete with twin-turbocharged Corvette V8 and Porsche ‘box..

Read more here: https://www.topgear.com/car-news/mod...ntador-his-son

[Thermodynamics]

Porsche 3D-Prints Pistons - first time in industry to do so

Compared to their forged equivalents, Porsche's new pistons are 10 percent lighter and feature a built-in cooling duct. The decrease in weight and temperature results in an extra 30 horsepower on top of the GT2 RS's already mighty 700.

For more details read here