3D printing parts for cars?

[jeffmorris]

I know that Jay Leno 3D prints parts for cars that he's restoring because trying to find parts for old cars is like trying to find needle in haystack especially if the old car is not 1955-1957 Chevy, Camaro, Mustang, Chevelle, etc. What if he's restoring a car so that it looks better than a brand-new car that came from the factory and he expects to win an award?

[awerby]

I know that Jay Leno 3D prints parts for cars that he's restoring because trying to find parts for old cars is like trying to find needle in haystack especially if the old car is not 1955-1957 Chevy, Camaro, Mustang, Chevelle, etc. What if he's restoring a car so that it looks better than a brand-new car that came from the factory and he expects to win an award?

Okay, I give up - what does happen then?

[jeffmorris]

I think that Jay Leno has an expensive 3D printer that can print objects from metal powder but I'm not sure if the 3D printed parts are as good as parts made the old way. I think that he 3D scanned the parts, cleaned them up, and 3D printed them but what if the parts are missing or badly damaged? I don't know if he can get 3D drawings of parts from companies that make parts for cars.

http://3dprintboard.com/showthread.p...-Leno-s-Garage

[CSMonkey]

What's your point? Are metal AM parts better than traditional?

Answer - NO they are different with different pros and cons.

[Marm]

What's your point? Are metal AM parts better than traditional?

Answer - NO they are different with different pros and cons.

Seems like your second line defeats itself. If 2 items have different pros and cons, then the exact criteria you are looking for determines what makes one better than the other. You never specified what makes a better part.

So if a particular part is unavailable anywhere, then fabricating your own is better then not having it at all.

And again, for competitions, it depends on the criteria. If the car you have restored is better than a totally original vintage car, then it depends on what the judges are looking for.