3D-printed cars.

[Exoscientist]

3-D-printed car could hit streets next year.
Chris Woodyard, USA TODAY 4:48 p.m. EST November 12, 2015
[url]http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2015/11/10/3d-printed-car-local-motors-swim/75530830/[/url]

Several companies have come out with what they call "3D-printed" cars, but none have 3d-printed the most important part, the engine.

This would be difficult to do with an internal combustion engine, with its high temperatures, multiple moving parts, and high tolerances.

But it shouldn't be too difficult with an electric engine. In fact considering there are now miniature 3D-printers on the market for the home, an amateur could be the first to produce an entire, scale-size, 3d-printed car.

And then it could be scaled up to produce a full-size working fully 3d-printed automobile.

This would revolutionize the industry.

Bob Clark

[PB666]

You could 3d print fred flintstones car, lol.

[Exoscientist]

[quote name='PB666']You could 3d print fred flintstones car, lol.[/QUOTE]

Already done, essentially, by these 3D-printed cars without an engine.

Bob Clark

[Nibb31]

Complex parts like engines, electric or combustion, use different grades of metal for different parts. They also use seals, gaskets, ceramics, electronics, etc. which can be made of whole different materials that aren't easily converted to a 3D printing manufacturing process. An electric motor needs a coil winding or a permanent magnet, neither of which can be replicated by a 3D-printer.

A car is composed of hundreds of mundane parts that are still pretty much impossible to 3D-print: batteries, spark plugs, filters, brake pads, tires, windscreen wipers, or even simple electronic components like light bulbs or condensers. Edited November 19, 2015 by Nibb31

[Elthy]

A homeplaced 3D printer cant use metalls, thats something for industrial printers which cost very, very much...

[wumpus]

The ability to produce prototypes, update, and produce another is astonishing. The ability to produce molds for "real production" is probably the biggest draw.

There is also the idea of printing connectors for off the shelf carbon fiber (or composite, fiberglass, or even PVC) tubes. Here is a similar link for "printing" the custom parts for a titanium bicycle (read: thousands of dollars) with a few grams of custom parts: [URL]http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/08/future-3d-print-own-titanium-bicycle/[/URL]
Note that it might even work better to 3d print the connectors onto the tubes instead of connecting three or more connectors and welding them in place. Obviously once you get about half your tubes together, you can't fit more than one tube into each connector once it is in place.

Don't expect much of a revolution from just this. You have been able to buy a custom welded aluminum frame such as above, complete with some sort of body for less than the price of a car (assembly of the whole thing extra$$$): google "kit cars" for examples. It [I]might [/I]be possible to build a strong frame this way, then print some sort of skeleton that fitted to the frame to support the "body" (as seen by outside people) presumably directly connecting some sort of cut flatish off the shelf composite panel for the body. 3D printing would be most important for the iterated design needed to find a way to get the whole thing to work together, then presumably for the molds that hold the off the shelf parts together.

A more interesting idea is a "rapid prototyped/manufactured" airplane. You can buy cars and bikes relatively cheap. Airplanes are another story. There are additional advantages to competent mechanics without the proper (A&R?) licensing: apparently the "manufacturer" can perform maintenance on the aircraft with significantly less paperwork/licenses*. This changes the costs considerably.

* I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.

[Shania_L]

3D printing may well replace casting for 'heavy-ish' industry purposes, but the major problem you have is the ability to produce a surface with a smooth enough finish to be gas/liquid tight against an adjacent component, ie cylinder block / cylinder head.

You will still require a machining process to skim the surfaces to accurate tolerances.
3D printing however is perfect for 'bolt-on' components like brackets and other components with open tolerances that have enough leeway to mate on rough surfaces.

[Exoscientist]

[quote name='Shania_L']3D printing may well replace casting for 'heavy-ish' industry purposes, but the major problem you have is the ability to produce a surface with a smooth enough finish to be gas/liquid tight against an adjacent component, ie cylinder block / cylinder head.

You will still require a machining process to skim the surfaces to accurate tolerances.
3D printing however is perfect for 'bolt-on' components like brackets and other components with open tolerances that have enough leeway to mate on rough surfaces.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. That's why I think it will be easier to 3D-print an electric engine.

Bob Clark

[Kerbart]

I think there's a huge market for garages and engine shops. Not every part is metal and needs finishing beyond what a high quality 3D printer can achieve. Need a replacement air intake? Mirror assembly? Wire harness? Instead of having to wait up to a week for "parts from the dealership" your local garage can print them on demand, and probably against a fraction of the price of what the car manufacturer is asking for it.

[LordFerret]

I saw an article not too long ago about a 3D-printed home (entire house, inside and out, snap-together modular components).

[GoSlash27]

3d printing simply cannot match the cost effectiveness or volume of mass production. It's good for what it does, but it's impractical for cars.
Best,
-Slashy

[Red Iron Crown]

[quote name='LordFerret']I saw an article not too long ago about a 3D-printed home (entire house, inside and out, snap-together modular components).[/QUOTE]
You might find this interesting, building-scale 3d printing in concrete: [url]http://www.contourcrafting.org/[/url]

That said, I think that 3d printing is overrated and people assume it can do more than it can (I'd love to see the 3d-printed electric motor the OP refers to, afaik rare earth magnet printing is not a thing, nor can it wind wire). It has some interesting applications in rapid prototyping and low volume, customized production; but for the vast majority of goods more traditional methods are cheaper, faster, and of more consistent quality. Maybe someday when they are further developed we'll start seeing them in common consumer use (another appliance in every house?), but that is decades off IMO.

[Guest]

[quote name='Red Iron Crown']You might find this interesting, building-scale 3d printing in concrete: [URL]http://www.contourcrafting.org/[/URL]

That said, I think that 3d printing is overrated and people assume it can do more than it can (I'd love to see the 3d-printed electric motor the OP refers to, afaik rare earth magnet printing is not a thing, nor can it wind wire). It has some interesting applications in rapid prototyping and low volume, customized production; but for the vast majority of goods more traditional methods are cheaper, faster, and of more consistent quality. Maybe someday when they are further developed we'll start seeing them in common consumer use (another appliance in every house?), but that is decades off IMO.[/QUOTE]
I've seen that. It's really neat.

[Nibb31]

[quote name='Exoscientist']Agreed. That's why I think it will be easier to 3D-print an electric engine.

Bob Clark[/QUOTE]

How exactly do you print bearings, copper coils and rare earth magnets?

[Camacha]

Why do people insist that 3D printing should be some end-all technology? It is not, and never will be that. It is [I]a[/I] technology. Just like with any other production technique, it is one of many steps in a process that leads to an end product. It does not matter that surface finish is not good enough, or that things need to be milled or levelled, because the same is true with any other technology. You simply add another step to the process and the problem is gone.

The real value is that you can now make complex shapes and/or produce things in ultra low volumes. Rather than making complex, expensive casting moulds, you can now produce a single piece. Instead a simplified model as an end product, you can now make things like flow chambers and the like exactly the right shape. This will help increase efficiency in some cases, or make lighter and/or stronger parts. Downside is that production time and cost is relatively high, so for high volume pieces, you are generally better off using something else, unless you really cannot make the shapes required any other way.

3D printing is a beautiful addition to the techniques portfolio, not much more, not much less. If we finally let go of those overly romantic expectations, we can get down to business and make some pretty amazing things.

[micr0wave]

It was a long way from Gutenberg to a colour laser printer.

When we get the same improvement range for 3D printers, what might be possible ?

[Camacha]

[quote name='micr0wave']When we get the same improvement range for 3D printers, what might be possible ?[/QUOTE]

Let me answer with a classic:

[quote]Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.[/quote]

[Exoscientist]

[quote name='wumpus']The ability to produce prototypes, update, and produce another is astonishing. The ability to produce molds for "real production" is probably the biggest draw.
There is also the idea of printing connectors for off the shelf carbon fiber (or composite, fiberglass, or even PVC) tubes. Here is a similar link for "printing" the custom parts for a titanium bicycle (read: thousands of dollars) with a few grams of custom parts: [URL]http://www.bicycles.net.au/2014/08/future-3d-print-own-titanium-bicycle/[/URL]
Note that it might even work better to 3d print the connectors onto the tubes instead of connecting three or more connectors and welding them in place. Obviously once you get about half your tubes together, you can't fit more than one tube into each connector once it is in place.
Don't expect much of a revolution from just this. You have been able to buy a custom welded aluminum frame such as above, complete with some sort of body for less than the price of a car (assembly of the whole thing extra$$$): google "kit cars" for examples. It [I]might [/I]be possible to build a strong frame this way, then print some sort of skeleton that fitted to the frame to support the "body" (as seen by outside people) presumably directly connecting some sort of cut flatish off the shelf composite panel for the body. 3D printing would be most important for the iterated design needed to find a way to get the whole thing to work together, then presumably for the molds that hold the off the shelf parts together.
A more interesting idea is a "rapid prototyped/manufactured" airplane. You can buy cars and bikes relatively cheap. Airplanes are another story. There are additional advantages to competent mechanics without the proper (A&R?) licensing: apparently the "manufacturer" can perform maintenance on the aircraft with significantly less paperwork/licenses*. This changes the costs considerably.
* I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice.[/QUOTE]

3D-printing of metals is already done in professional installations, which suggest they should be able to 3D-print an electric engine.
Doing it for a amateur home installation would be harder, but might be doable.

Bob Clark

[Red Iron Crown]

[quote name='Exoscientist']3D-printing of metals is already done in professional installations, which suggest they should be able to 3D-print an electric engine.
Doing it for a amateur home installation would be harder, but might be doable. [/QUOTE]
There's metals, and then there are metals. The sintered metals that can be done with 3d printing are inferior in almost every regard compared to cast, forged or machined from billet metals. You're not going to make a bearing with sintered parts, not one with any kind of service life anyway.

[Camacha]

[quote name='Red Iron Crown']The sintered metals that can be done with 3d printing are inferior in almost every regard compared to cast, forged or machined from billet metals.[/QUOTE]

Sintering, maybe. Laser melting is fine, though. SLM printers can produce metal parts in a range of metals (including cobalt-chrome and titanium) and have properties that are in most part similar to milled parts. Parts tend to be a bit softer/less hardened, which can be a bonus or disadvantage, depending on what you want to do next.

[Red Iron Crown]

[quote name='Camacha']Sintering, maybe. Laser melting is fine, though. SLM printers can produce metal parts in a range of metals (including cobalt-chrome and titanium) and have properties that are in most part similar to milled parts. Parts tend to be a bit softer/less hardened, which can be a bonus or disadvantage, depending on what you want to do next.[/QUOTE]
SLM is sintering, isn't it? I'm not overly familiar with the tech, some quick reading indicates that they have "superior ductility and fracture resistance", which is pretty indicative of a softer metal. As you say, useful for some applications but a disadvantage for others.

[Camacha]

[quote name='Red Iron Crown']SLM is sintering, isn't it?[/quote]
Sintering is not melting and people in the industry can get a little bit upset if you say it is :D Sintering does not fully melt the material, yielding a somewhat brittle object with voids. Melting, when done right, should yield an almost homogeneous part. The latter are engineering strength parts. Though admittedly, there seems to be a fair bit of confusion what's what.


[quote]I'm not overly familiar with the tech, some quick reading indicates that they have "superior ductility and fracture resistance", which is pretty indicative of a softer metal. As you say, useful for some applications but a disadvantage for others.[/QUOTE]
Thing is, softer things are very easy to harden with traditional techniques. Meanwhile, you get to mill and/or finish your part in a less hardened state, allowing easier, cheaper and faster milling. It mainly is a drawback if you need your part just hardened, but if you need any sort of treatment, softer parts are often a bonus. Realistically, very few people printing titanium parts want to use them straight from the printer and hardening is a minor cost compared to the printing itself.

The technology is still prohibitively expensive, but the things you can do with it are fairly amazing. Edited November 23, 2015 by Camacha

[Red Iron Crown]

What does SLM stand for? The closest I could find was [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_metal_laser_sintering[/url]

I don't see how it can fully melt the metal and still use 3d additive printing, but perhaps there are tricks I don't know about.

[Mo0n3r]

SLS = Selective Laser Sintering
SLM = Selective Laser Melting

Basically a metal (or ceramic) powder bed in an inert atmosphere (usually argon) where a laser is used to form a continuous flowing pool of molten metal.
The hard part is sustaining a stable pool under different circumstances

The technology is being increasingly used in aerospace.

[Camacha]

[quote name='Red Iron Crown']What does SLM stand for? The closest I could find was [url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct_metal_laser_sintering[/url]

[...]

I don't see how it can fully melt the metal and still use 3d additive printing, but perhaps there are tricks I don't know about.[/QUOTE]

The basic idea is the same in both sintering and melting. You have a power bed in which you burn a pattern with a laser. You then add a thin layer of powder, rinse, repeat. The tiny area of the laser allows you to be precise and melt the new bits of powder to the existing work piece. As you can imagine, the devil is in the detail, lots and lots of frustrating and complicated details. Printer manufacturers really need to jump through a large number of hoops and control the circumstances and environment in great detail to get the desired results. These are printers that cost many, many millions of dollars.

People have also experimented with FDM type ('Ultimaker style printing') metal printing, but that is not well developed at all. Also note that naming conventions are not very well established in this rather new field yet, with different names (some proprietary) sometimes being used for the same technology, concepts overlapping without clear boundaries between the two or people simply confusing terms.