Additive manufacturing technology has improved significantly over the last decade, transforming the way products are designed, produced, and distributed.
For the automotive industry, this has paved the way for limitless possibilities – novel designs, lighter products, faster turnarounds, and cost-effectiveness.
Recent advances in additive manufacturing processes and the development of advanced materials significantly boost production in the automotive industry.
On-Demand Manufacturing
This is one area that promises extraordinary benefits for the automotive industry. With 3D printers at hand, maintenance and repair teams will be able to produce spare parts without having to stock up on them.
This technology has the potential to transform how automotive repairs are carried out, improving efficiency and speed whilst reducing costs for the service provider as well as the customer.
Producing Light-weight products
Although the automotive industry has been using additive manufacturing techniques for rapid prototyping, the technical orientation of 3D printing means it could be used in producing lightweight products.
Reducing the weight of a product has several benefits including improved performance. Additive manufacturing offers the perfect opportunity to produce lighter parts.
Cost-Effective Customization
Customization is a popular trend in the automotive industry, not just for aftermarket products but also for new vehicles being made in the factory.
With 3D printing, creating custom, one-off parts can be easy and cost-effective. That is something traditional manufacturing techniques have not been able to deliver. In fact, tooling, machining, and molding a one-off custom part can prove to be a costly and time-intensive task. And additive manufacturing can help streamline this process considerably.
A Long List of Benefits
In addition to the above-mentioned advantages, additive manufacturing offers an array of other benefits including:
- Quicker turnaround on low-volume parts
- Lower energy use
- Minimal wastage of raw material
- Cost savings
- Reduce overheads by storing minimal inventory
- Meet specific needs such as light-weighting for electric vehicles
- A wide range of materials are available that can withstand extreme temperatures
Robust Alloys for Additive Manufacturing from TMetal
Here at TMetal, we take great pride in being at the forefront of additive manufacturing technology. We offer a wide range of metal powders for additive manufacturing in the automotive industry.
Our revolutionary metal powders – TMP316L-AM, TMP-AlSi10Mg-A and TMP-AlSi12-AM – boast an array of benefits including excellent corrosion resistance, and high mechanical performance.
