Nov 27, 2018 | By Cameron
In a few years, it’ll be hard to believe cars were ever manufactured without 3D printers. From replacement parts for antique Mercedes to entire electric motorcycles to elaborate wheels, the 3D printing wave is flooding the automotive industry, and that’s just what’s happened in the last couple of weeks. Add to that list a 3D printed high-performance suspension upright from Carbon Performance for the Lotus Elise sports car.
Carbon Performance aims to remind the world that the United Kingdom, specifically Yorkshire in northern England, is a hub of innovation. This suspension upright boasts some noteworthy features, such as the fact that it’s 25% lighter than the original assembly; that’s partly because it’s all aluminum and partly because it consolidated nine parts into one organic shape, which also increased camber stiffness by 25%. Artificial intelligence co-designed the piece, guiding material to load-bearing areas while cutting mass where possible. A QR code is included on the part that links it to a digital inventory ecosystem that’s secured by blockchain, the same code used by cryptocurrencies.
“We are a truly British company deeply engrossed into our vision of taking additive manufacturing into the retail shelves of the automotive industry," stated R N Murugesan, Director of Carbon Performance. "We are the world's first automotive consumer retail brand built layer-by-layer with additive manufacturing." Murugesan means that consumer retail bit as they package their parts to look beautiful on a shelf, something not seen among most automotive parts companies.
Carbon Performance plans to leverage their 3D printing expertise to expand into graphene as well as intelligent and sustainable mobility solutions. By working with performance companies like Lotus, Carbon Performance can demonstrate that 3D printing solutions can not only keep up with conventional manufacturing but can run laps around it.
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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I wonder how much more it cost to make this part.
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