3D printed cars and car parts
3D printed cars it is not just something that manufacturers could be using in the future to produce vehicles, but it is a reality that can be used to print part or even the whole chassis of the car.
Jay Leno, the TV presenter and car collector, has over 100 cars and 30 motorcycles. He uses a scanner to scan the parts of his old cars and a 3D printer to instantaneously print the replacement parts he needs. Imagine you damage your Ferrari engine, you could scan the engine part by part and re-create the entire motor without having to visit a garage.
In Leno´s words: “Some of these cars are sitting in garages around the country, and they haven't moved in years for lack of some unobtainable part. Now they can hit the road once more, thanks to this technology”.
In the process a NextEngine scanner ($2995) and Dimension uPrint Personal 3D printer is used to scan and print the part, it is not a cheap technology, but this technology used to cost 10 times more, and the price is expected to continue falling.
Nowadays the price of this technology is one the main arguments against it because not many individuals can have a 3D printer in their house to print spare pieces of their cars.
Cody and Tyler Kor were designing a car (picture 1), but it was taking very long to produce the fiberglass molding they had originally planned to use for their prototype, so the team turned to an unlikely source for a solution: 3-D printing the car. More than 50 percent of the car is 3-D printed. Everything you typically see and touch on the car, as you drive the car, will be 3-D printed.
The business value proposition for 3D printed cars will be the cost saving that printing some of the parts of the cars will bring to the industry, it will cut production cost, the environmental impact of producing a car will be reduced, car prices will decrease making it more accessible for people. Furthermore, time efficiencies in production and repairs will also affect supply and demand for the car market.
In the future you will no longer need to go to the garage to fix your exhaust, brake disc, or steering wheel. You will be able to make your own repairs from your own house.
The hobby of bringing back to life some classic cars and to keep them up and running will be more accessible, because you will be able to print the part you need, it will be cheaper, and cars will be better preserve.