At present, the automotive industry has been the vertical industry with the most 3D printing applications, and from the perspective of the trend, the application of 3D printing in the automotive field will usher in more favorable development conditions.
First of all, there is the issue of industrial chain. Under the trend of global economy and the influence of capital chasing profits, the industrial chain of the automobile industry is spread across many countries in the world. However, under the influence of the epidemic, some parts of the automobile industry have encountered shortages and increased transportation time.
The United States, Germany, Japan and other old automobile powers are facing the situation of industrial chain fracture. Except for some high-precision parts produced by their own enterprises, many other parts need to be purchased from other countries. Moreover, due to the influence of labor cost and production cost (a certain amount is required to share the cost), they are also able to re-establish their own supply chain. Therefore, they are currently focusing on 3D printing technology, hoping to produce some parts through 3D printing technology.
The rapid development of electric vehicles is also conducive to the application of 3D printing technology in the automotive industry. It is estimated that by 2035, more than half of the newly sold vehicles will be electric vehicles, and in some countries, the proportion may reach 80%. In order to seize the market, there may be more than 400 electric vehicles in the next 8 years. This makes the development cycle very tight, and 3D printing has the advantage of rapidly manufacturing various prototypes in the development stage.
In addition, 3D printed parts can be fully topology optimized, or directly adopt parametric generative design, which can produce parts with better performance and lighter weight. It can also combine multiple parts into an integrated part, reducing the installation steps. Especially for electric vehicles, in order to increase the range, lightweight becomes more important. Therefore, for some parts, 3D printing may be more costly than parts manufactured by traditional processes, but the overall cost is lower if the later use cost is considered.
In practical applications, engineers also make up for the advantages of 3D printing through clever design. Due to the molding technology, the surface of 3D printed articles will have laminations, which will affect the aesthetics. However, by designing various surface shapes, it can make up for this shortcoming and enrich the selectivity. For example, most of the current car interiors are made of leather. And 3D printing can realize various textures.
Therefore, in general, 3D printing will have a good development prospect in the automotive industry.