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Dec 27, 2017 | By Tess

British automotive company MINI has announced it will be launching a new customization service to its clients in 2018. The program, called MINI Yours Customised, will allow consumers to personalize their MINI vehicles using 3D printing and laser etching technologies.

MINI Yours, which is slated to launch in the UK in March 2018, will offer customization features such as side scuttles, interior trims, illuminated door sills, LED door projectors, and more. According to MINI, its clients will be able to select and personalize their car’s features using a simple online tool.

And once the custom fittings have been selected online, they will be sent to a MINI factory where they will be produced using innovative manufacturing technologies such as 3D printing and laser lettering.

“From 2018, customers will be able to further enhance their vehicles by selecting between different colours, patterns, surface finishes and icons when designing MINI Yours Customised products,” said the company in a statement.

“They can also integrate their own text and even their personal signature into various design. This unparalleled design freedom will allow MINI drivers to transform their car into a unique one-of-a-kind, defined only by the customer’s individual style and creativity,” it added.

Moreover, the customized modifications are easy to install, meaning that clients can fit them onto their MINIs themselves, or can take them to a local dealer to be put in. To maintain the value of the car, the company says that the 3D printed fittings can also be removed and replaced with new customizations or original parts.

3D printing will be used to produce custom side scuttles, which are the rims for the side indicator inlays. Clients can choose from a range of different colors and finishes for their side scuttles and can even opt to have a word, name, or logo included in the design. 3D printing will also be used to offer customized interior trims.

In manufacturing the custom parts, MINI has worked with its parent company BMW Group to establish a suitable production process and distribution system. More specifically, once a part has been ordered through MINI’s web-based customizer, a digital file of the model will be sent to the “appropriate” production facility to be made.

These production facilities, all located in Germany, are equipped with 3D printing technologies supplied through BMW partners Hewlett-Packard Inc., Carbon, and EOS GmbH. “All MINI Yours Customised products conform to the same high form, functionality and safety standards as the factory supplied components in the original MINI accessories range,” says the company.

So far, MINI hasn’t divulged any prices for these customized features, but we’re pretty sure they won’t be cheap. Still, the initiative is a notable step towards more customization in the auto industry.

“The new MINI Yours Customised product range reaffirms the brand’s position as a pioneer in offering new options, digital services and the establishment of innovative production processes,” writes MINI. “Individualisation has always been highly valued by the worldwide MINI community as evident by the exceptionally large and diverse range of existing special equipment and original MINI accessories.”

 

 

Posted in 3D Printing Application

 

 

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