3D Printing comes to vehicle manufacturing
iDisrupted Commentary
Since we wrote the original book – iDisrupted – and started this blog, we’ve been saying that 3D Printing is going to strategically disrupt manufacturing with the prospect of inshoring.
Rolls Royce are already making spare parts for aero engines and developments in materials science have meant the ability to print with alloys opens up whole new areas of opportunity.
Now a car manufacturer, Daihatsu, are starting to manufacture parts so that customers can specifically design accessory sets for themselves – as predicted 3D printing will go mainstream but specifically this leads to “personalised manufacturing” where every product that goes on sale is to be personalised by the intended customer.
From The Economist: “Another milestone has been passed in the adoption of additive manufacturing, popularly known as 3D printing. Daihatsu, a Japanese manufacturer of small cars and a subsidiary of Toyota, an industry giant, announced on June 20th that it would begin offering car buyers the opportunity to customise their vehicles with 3D-printed parts. This brings to drivers with more modest budgets the kind of individual tailoring of vehicles hitherto restricted to the luxury limousines and sports cars of the super-rich.The service is available only to buyers of the Daihatsu Copen, a tiny convertible two-seater. Customers ordering this car from their local dealer can choose one of 15 “effect skins”, decorative panels embellished with intricate patterns in ten different colours. The buyers can then use a website to tinker with the designs further to create exactly the look they want. The skins are printed in a thermoplastic material using additive-manufacturing machines from Stratasys, an American company. The results are then stuck on the front and rear body panels.”…more..
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