Porsche Is 3D Printing
Porsche Is 3D Printing Electric Drive Housings: What This Means for Your Car
Porsches are fast, sleek, and sexy. They’re also meticulously designed, with each part placed for optimum performance. Any deviation from the perfect assembly process can lead to a substandard car that won’t meet minimum standards.
To increase efficiency and reduce costs, many manufacturers now use 3D printing technology in production processes. These machines produce objects layer by layer using digital designs rather than traditional tools such as molds or carved wooden blocks.
While this has been primarily used for smaller parts in industries like medical and dental prosthetics, auto manufacturers have begun adopting the technology to streamline their assembly processes as well. Here we explore how Porsche is 3D printing electric drive housings, what this means for your car, and whether you should consider it when buying a new vehicle....
Why is Porsche Using 3D Printing?
One of the main reasons manufacturers use 3D printing is to increase efficiency. While the design stage can be more time-consuming, once the machine is set up, it can produce smaller, more intricate parts at a lower cost. In addition, these parts can be designed to be stronger and more durable.
One of the big advantages of 3D printing is being able to produce complex designs with intricate interiors that would be difficult to make with traditional methods. When it comes to electric drive housings, however, it might be more about finding a solution for a design problem.
Electric drivetrains are increasingly being used in many types of vehicles, and the housings that house their components can be particularly troublesome to manufacturer.
How Is Porsche Using 3D Printing in This Process?
Porsche is using selective laser sintering (SLS) equipment to print these components. When using SLS 3D printing, a laser is used to fuse tiny particles of metal, plastic, or other materials together to create the desired object.
While this method of manufacturing is not new, manufacturers are now using it to produce larger components.
Porsche’s electric drive housings are being produced using a process called structured SLS, which means the housings are 3D printed in a single piece.
What 3D printer does Porsche use?
High-precision Trumpf TruPrint 3000 machines welded the powder layer by layer using the laser metal fusion process (LMF), also known as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF). In this process, the powder is fused by laser beam in a thickness in the µm range (0.02-0.1 millimetres), thus building up the piston layer by layer the drill itself is not 3D printed, the housings where it sits in the car are.
This should allow for more complicated and precise designs and fewer needed components.
Less Complex Design = Less Waste
One of the really interesting details I saw associated with this technique was that SLS printing provided waste savings of at least 60%. Because of the way that 3D printing uses laser technology to build up each layer, rather than traditional layering with a mold, there's less waste involved in creating each component.
Perfect Fit Is What Porsche Wanted
This isn't the first time Porsche has taken advantage of 3D printing technology. For road-going and race vehicles alike, they use additive manufacturing techniques to replace small interior pieces before they are ever manufactured.
This is a good thing to do both because small pieces can cost more at scale and also because their design doesn't always accommodate mass manufacturing in a typical factory assembly line setting.
High-precision Trumpf TruPrint 3000
High-precision Trumpf TruPrint 3000 using this type of printing equipment, the component is first designed by a mechanical engineer using 3D modeling software. This file is then sent to the laser sintering machine via an integrated computer.
At this point, rather than using a traditional 3D printer where individual layers starts at the base of the material to be printed and built upon, selective laser sintering uses additive manufacturing to create objects.
The SLS printer sprays layers of substances that instantly fuse together into a solid metal product with its surface resembling frosted glass in many areas.
Using metal SLS printer technologies from EOS, processes such as powder metal (dynamic compaction) and light-metal systems (selective laser melting) can transform any metal powders into near-net shape parts that are optimised for further manufacturing stages such as forming or conventional machining with maximum possible precision and freedom in design.
The possibilities for use go far beyond series production models, particularly when it comes to limited-series vehicle runs. They likely started with a conventional injection mold, using 3D printing allowed designers to create parts that were more complex and cheaper to manufacture.
While car manufacturers have been experimenting with 3D-printed parts for quite a long time, this is the latest example and looks to be a step toward mass production.
The day when many car components are printed out of metal instead of being cast from molten metal or injection molded from plastic is drawing nearer; it may still be quite a ways out, but it's time manufacturers start thinking seriously about how it can make new product options available – for both themselves and their customers.
What Is Porsche Doing With 3D Printing?
Porsche is using SLS to produce the electric drive housings for its Mission E sports car. The company’s engineers designed the housings to fit precisely against other components that are also being manufactured with SLS.
Because the housings are printed in a single piece, there is no need for welding and minimal post-processing. Besides being stronger, these housings will be more efficient and will produce less noise than previous versions.
Porsche’s engineers are also using 3D printing to design other components and assemblies.
For example, the company is experimenting with 3D-printed turbine housing casings and hopes to use 3D printing to reduce the weight and number of components in other drivetrain parts.
What Does This Mean for Consumers?
As 3D printing technology advances, it is expected that many manufacturers will use it to produce larger components, replacing welding with a process that will be more precise and efficient.
This will lead to a better overall product and less waste. If manufacturers choose, they could also use 3D printing to create smaller parts.
This would give the consumer more options for customising their vehicle, since companies could create a wider variety of smaller components.
Although the technology is advancing rapidly, it is likely that manufacturers will still outsource the production of some components, especially those that require high-end tooling or materials that are difficult to source.
Should You Buy a Car Made With 3D Printing Technology?
This will depend on the type of car you are buying. If you are looking for a sports car that is fast and sleek, then the Porsche Mission E would be a great option for you.
If you’re looking for more of a family car, then you may want to consider a vehicle that doesn’t have as many parts that have been produced with 3D printing. If you are purchasing a car made with 3D printing, you may also want to consider servicing and maintaining that vehicle closely.
You don’t want to have issues with the part or the functionality of the vehicle when you are driving with your family. Porsche has not announced when the Mission E will be available, but the company is expected to produce several thousand units.
This would be a good car to buy if you want to be one of the first to own a vehicle made with 3D printing in production.
3D Printing In Auto Manufacturing
The automotive sector has been at the forefront of 3D printing for many years. Now, with the technology maturing and its cost decreasing, it is expected that more manufacturers will adopt it for their production process.
This will enable manufacturers to produce more complex parts while keeping their supply chain short and their inventory low. When it comes to the future of 3D printing in the automotive sector, vehicle designers will have more freedom to create unique and intricate designs.
This will enable designers to produce vehicles with reduced weight and more efficient engines, while engineers will be able to create stronger and more durable parts with fewer components.
3D Printed Cars Are the Future: How Should Manufacturers Utilise This Technology?
When it comes to designing and manufacturing vehicles, there are many factors to take into consideration, including fuel efficiency, emissions, and safety. While many automakers have been slow to adopt new technologies, it is expected that 3D printing will play a big part in their future designs.
One of the biggest challenges for automakers is designing vehicles that meet strict safety regulations. The way the regulations are currently written, however, could lead to more pedestrian deaths as future generations grow.
To mitigate these issues, manufacturers need to make sure that the hoods, fenders, and bumpers are strong enough to absorb impact while keeping pedestrians safe.
With 3D printing, they can easily design parts that still meet these regulations, while being lighter and surrounded by fewer components.
Why Is This Important?
Engineers and designers have long been using computer-aided design (CAD) software to create their designs.
Now, with the use of 3D printing to manufacture these designs, they can create and test their products in a virtual environment, without having to worry about the cost of producing substandard prototypes.
This will help reduce design and engineering errors and will allow companies to respond more quickly to customer demands.
Why Should You Care?
The use of 3D printing in automotive manufacturing will have far-reaching implications for the entire industry. Because more manufacturers will use 3D printing to produce their parts and vehicles, the supply chain will be shorter and less fragmented. This will help to keep costs down for consumers.
In addition, the use of 3D printing will help to reduce waste and emissions.
The adoption of 3D printing will also change the way that manufacturers design and engineer their products. This will result in a better overall product that is safer for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Bottom line
The automotive industry is going through a significant transformation, thanks largely to 3D printing.
In the future, you can expect to see less waste and emissions, shorter supply chains, and safer, better overall products, thanks to the adoption of 3D printing technology in manufacturing.
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