After a car model gets retired, automotive suppliers still have a spare parts obligation. Estimating how many spare parts they’ll need, injection moulding and then storing them is a huge waste of resources. 3D printing removes the sunk cost of that production along with 15 years storage costs.  This presentation will describe the technology and capacity to provide this spare and end-of-life obligation without the waste and by using AM. It will also describe and the current and future potential for car manufacturers.  

This presentation will provide insights into the industrialization goals of additive manufacturing (AM) in the automotive industry, highlighting the expertise and potential of metal AM throughout the product lifecycle. During the presentation, Nikon SLM will delve into how the powder bed fusion (PBF) metal AM process fits within the automotive sector to reduce the total cost per part while adhering to quality process standards and ensuring repeatability and sustainability. Finally, the presentation will showcase the added value of metal AM applications through several case studies, primarily from the motorsport and hypercar industries.

3D printing / Additive Manufacturing (AM) has revolutionised the way we approach prototyping and production, allowing for rapid design changes and quick feedback loops. Software development has also allowed for a seamless and simple design process. Yet, that doesn’t mean there aren’t still more ways to speed up the design and development process when taking advantage of additive manufacturing. This presentation will provide some actionable tips to help you accelerate your design iterations for 3D printing enabling you to bring high-quality parts and prototypes to the market faster than ever before!

This presentation will concentrate on mechanical properties and microstructure as well as geometrical differences. It will contrast the additive manufactured values against the cast value in order to assess what is possible with additive manufactured parts and where the limits are and will focus only on Aluminium parts, especially AlSi10Mg.

The presentation will show the progress and potential of the latest generation of additive manufacturing. This enables, for example, new materials with equivalent properties to conventionally produced materials. This makes it possible for the first time to print crash-capable high-performance alloys. Furthermore, the enormous potential of 3D printing in terms of lightweight construction and functional integration will be demonstrated using various automotive components. Examples include ultra-light brake calipers, hybrid brake discs, components with integrated acoustic or vibration damping as well as integrated electrical circuits. Even complete bionically optimized chassis structures are possible and save significant weight or improve performance.

This presentation will provide a thorough case study of an innovative suspension damper manufactured using additive manufacturing technologies.