Dec 8, 2015 | By Kira
We all know Jay Leno as the affable comedian and former host of NBC’s The Tonight Show. Car enthusiasts will also recognize him as an absolute automobile fanatic, with an enviable collection of over 286 cars and motorcycles. But now, Leno is surprising us all with a third possible identity: Jay Leno, the Celebrity Face of 3D Printing.
Just last week, Leno featured Local Motors, creators of the first ever road-ready 3D printed cars, on his CNBC primetime series Jay Leno’s Garage. In the episode, he shed some light on 3D printed automobile technology, testing the limits of 3D printed plastic materials and even taking the 3D printed Strati model for a spin in front of the cameras. Now, industry giant 3D Systems has revealed that the celebrity car enthusiast used their 3D design and printing technology to restore critical components on his hand-made, one-of-a-kind EcoJet Car.
The parts in question were custom vents for the 650 horsepower, carbon-fiber body concept car, which was built by Leno in consultation with General Motors. Rather than a regular motor, the EcoJet features a Honeywell LTS-101 turbine engine, the kind that normally powers helicopters. The vents were critical to ensuring sufficient airflow to this powerful jet engine, however the original ones were too delicate, and broke while the car was being transported from the workshop. With no CAD files to work from, Leno turned to 3D Systems' end-to-end 3D printing solutions.
First off, Leno and his team used 3D Systems Geomagic Design X software to convert 3D laser scanned data from the broken vent pieces into a solid, editable CAD model. Once the optimized 3D digital models were ready (a process that took less than 30 minutes), Quickparts’ on-demand manufacturing service 3D printed the vents on their industrial SLS machines. In terms of material, they chose DuraForm HST, a lightweight, fiber-filled nylon used for functional protoytpes and end-use parts. So, not only was Leno able to create new custom-vents for his cherished car, he was actually able to make them better and stronger than the originals through the optimized 3D models and superior 3D printing materials.
The finished 3D printed vents
"It is amazing, how we just take 3D scans and come back with end-use parts that fit perfectly," said Leno. "With 3D printing, the automotive industry has changed more in the last decade than it previously did in the last century."
"It's been an incredible boon to us that we can make any part for any car no matter how exotic, no matter how unusual, no matter how difficult it was to make back in the day. We can do it faster, cheaper and more efficiently than we ever did," he continued. "This I think is the future of manufacturing in America." Moreover, 3D systems revealed that this isn’t Leno’s first brush with 3D printing technology: apparently, he’s been using 3D printers, materials, and software for quite some time to restore hard-to-find parts for some of his oldest and rarest collectible cars.
Whether he intends it or not, Jay Leno is becoming something of a poster boy for 3D printing technology, lending his celebrity status to this quickly emerging tech phenomenon. Of course, we wouldn’t mind if Angelina Jolie or maybe even Jennifer Lawrence added their names to the Celebrity 3D Printing Pot, but we’re more than happy to have Leno on our side. You can see him talk about his work with 3D Systems in this video, released by the company today:
Posted in 3D Printing Application
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