3D printing technology shakes up parts production for automakers, suppliers

Automakers and suppliers are on the cusp of revolutionary change through their growing use of 3D printing, a technology that can make custom parts on demand and has the potential to mass-produce parts.

Once the technology achieves critical mass, industry analysts say, 3D printing also could affect fixed operations at dealerships.

Many automakers now use 3D printing to make prototype parts for vehicle development, as well as tools and assembly aids for manufacturing operations. Several car companies are looking into making production parts with 3D printers in the next five years. Some automakers currently produce handfuls of small replacement parts, typically interior trim pieces.

Tech geeks and do-it-yourselfers already are making small parts on demand for older cars — ashtrays, clips and interior trim for which the tooling is long gone — with 3D printers that cost less than $500. Lurking on the sidelines are technology startups with 3D printing expertise that could become new suppliers to the industry.

If auto manufacturers, suppliers and others see so much potential from 3D printing, should dealers also be excited about its prospects, especially large dealership groups that have deep pockets and scale? Why buy parts from a vendor or scrounge for a hard-to-find clip or trim molding when a dealership could produce it in house?

Nikhil Gupta, a mechanical engineering professor at New York University, says jumping into manufacturing would be out of character for dealers whose business model is to sell and service cars.

"Once you start manufacturing something, you create a cost center within your company," Gupta told Fixed Ops Journal. "A lot of times, people are not comfortable having a big cost center along with a revenue center within the same company structure. There are incentives, but there also are downsides."

Using a 3D printer to make high-quality components that are durable and have a finished appearance is more expensive than conventional manufacturing, especially when it is done in low volumes, Gupta warns.

Moreover, he estimates that a single printer capable of making several different parts today could cost $750,000 to $1 million, although printer costs are dropping. HP announced recently that it plans to offer a $400,000 3D printer called Metal Jet that makes metal parts.

Becoming a parts manufacturer raises other issues for dealers, Gupta adds.

"Who's going to take the responsibility for liability?" he says. "How do they test the products that they make in their shop? Should dealers take this responsibility of testing everything and taking the liability? We don't know that yet."

Rohit Mathew, manager of the 3D printing portfolio at Carlisle & Co., an auto consulting firm in Concord, Mass., says the auto industry's high standards for quality and appearance rule out using cheap, over-the-counter 3D printers for many parts, especially those that are visible in vehicles.

"The parts you can make on a $400 3D printer that's available to the public wouldn't work for certain interior parts," Mathew says. "If you're going to put it under a console or it's just a clip that's out of sight, the surface finish doesn't really matter. All that really matters is whether it's going to hold up."

Mathew cites bumper cover clips as an example of a small part that dealership shops could produce on 3D machines. Vehicle accessories that are decorative instead of functional also are good candidates, he says.

Mini USA soon will launch a program that uses 3D printing to enable owners to electronically design personalized exterior and interior trim accessories for their vehicles through an online portal called MINI Yours Customized.

Mini will produce the parts from digital designs on 3D printers in Germany. Customers will be able to choose from templates for different designs and select colors, patterns and surface finishes. They also can add text, such as their name or a nickname for their car.

General Motors acquired 3D printers more than 30 years ago. It now employs them mainly to make prototype parts used in vehicle development and for aerodynamic testing. But GM expects 3D printers will make production parts in the next three to five years.

"At this point, it's targeted for low-volume production vehicles and accessories and motor sports, some of the performance variants that we have, maybe lower-volume trim models on some of our vehicles," says Kevin Quinn, GM's director of additive design and manufacturing.

"Starting out, it will probably be parts you don't see," Quinn adds. "With accessories, personalization and customization, I think there will be some opportunities to demonstrate it with some parts that you do see, but probably a quicker path of implementation for maybe bracketry, things that are behind the scenes in the vehicle."

Farther down the road, 3D printing has the potential to save money on parts production. GM has shown a "proof of concept" seat bracket made with 3D printing that it says has 40 percent less mass and is 20 percent stronger than a similar bracket made with conventional manufacturing. The bracket is made of one piece instead of eight pieces welded together, reducing tooling and subassembly costs.

GM also uses 3D printers to make hand tools, jigs, fixtures and assembly aids in its production plants. One such fixture has made it easier to install sun visors at GM's assembly plant in Delta Township, Mich. Another prevents scratching of painted surfaces when fasteners are installed.

Quinn says the ability to print prototype parts for vehicle development can save time as well as money. It also gives engineers more flexibility to evaluate multiple iterations of a physical part, he says.

"Previously, when we would have had to build a low-volume part, such as a small plastic bracket, we had to build an aluminum injection mold tool, and you would have to wait 10 to 12 weeks before you could produce that," Quinn says. "Now, within days, if not hours, we can print those parts."