3D Printing's effect on the Auto Industry

From what I see, 3D Printing is bound to have a massive effect on the Automobile industry.

PARTS:
- Just imagine. If you have an old car that needs a replacement part, aftermarket parts can be very expensive. If you have a printer at home that can print your parts, you will save a ton of money. Once metal printers become common for consumers, this is something I expect to see a lot more of.
- This saves so much not only in terms of money, but in terms of manufacturing and waste. No more uneeded production of parts. They will be able to be printed as need be.
- Recycling is easier. Raw materials that 3D Printers use can be recycled back into their original source material.

CUSTOM CARS:
- Think about all the customizations people will be able to do to their cars. Now you have to buy manufactured parts, or kits in order to customize your car. They aren't really custom though, are they? With 3D Printing, you can make your own parts, any which way you want.

I know I'm excited about what 3D Printing will be bringing to the Auto industry. Any other cool things that we should see in the Auto Industry due to 3D Printing?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NJ_Lifer

From what I see, 3D Printing is bound to have a massive effect on the Automobile industry.

PARTS:
- Just imagine. If you have an old car that needs a replacement part, aftermarket parts can be very expensive. If you have a printer at home that can print your parts, you will save a ton of money. Once metal printers become common for consumers, this is something I expect to see a lot more of.
- This saves so much not only in terms of money, but in terms of manufacturing and waste. No more uneeded production of parts. They will be able to be printed as need be.
- Recycling is easier. Raw materials that 3D Printers use can be recycled back into their original source material.

CUSTOM CARS:
- Think about all the customizations people will be able to do to their cars. Now you have to buy manufactured parts, or kits in order to customize your car. They aren't really custom though, are they? With 3D Printing, you can make your own parts, any which way you want.

I know I'm excited about what 3D Printing will be bringing to the Auto industry. Any other cool things that we should see in the Auto Industry due to 3D Printing?

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Some customisations don't look so hot lol....

check out the torino..

I had a similar idea about manufacturing parts for restorers of old cars. My thought s were that you could take a damaged part; scan it, and then print from the scan. Then you would check the printed part to see that it was a suitable size and fit. If the part was made of metal, you would take the stl file made from the scan and run it through a CAM program to produce G-code for normal CNC milling of the appropriate metal.

Old Man Emu

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NJ_Lifer

- Just imagine. If you have an old car that needs a replacement part, aftermarket parts can be very expensive. If you have a printer at home that can print your parts, you will save a ton of money. Once metal printers become common for consumers, this is something I expect to see a lot more of.

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Jay Leno has been raving about this application of 3D printing (and scanning) for years.

This was written back in 2009.

And a more recent article from this year.

I have already measured and made a custom centercap for my older car.... I have only made one, and wanted to check fitment and if it could be done to how I wanted it, and was a small enough size with a decent amount of detail to be a test subject. I work on all sorts of old cars, trucks, and motorcycles. my primary plan is for that use, plus as needed for other aspects. when I can make things in metal, I feel like I will be limitless.

No doubt the auto industry will see a major shift in the next several years because of 3D Printing. Having said this, pretty much every industry will eventually feel the effects of the up and coming technology. I think that the recycling tidbit you posted about is something that is being grossly understressed. Plastics can now pretty much be ecycled at home into an infinite amount of products. Give it 5 or 6 years and we will see major progress in this area I believe.