I have no idea what I would do with this but I want one so bad.

  • IMALlama@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I work at an automotive OEM. We’ve used large scale 3D printed prototypes for longer than I’ve worked here (~15 years). Most of our prototype parts are SLS nylon. SLS has the benefit of having free/built in supports.

    Automotive parts are deceivingly large. Yeah, you could print a lot of parts with this volume but most exterior parts, and a lot of interior parts, would need to get split. For example, the first gen miata, which is a pretty tiny car, has a hood that’s 36" x 41" and 45" long doors.

    This isn’t to say that there’s no space for 3D printing in automotive. It could be a good match for lower volume parts or parts that are designed to be 3D printed (most traditional parts aren’t). Another good use case might be spare parts: https://newsroom.porsche.com/en/company/porsche-classic-3d-printer-spare-parts-sls-printer-production-cars-innovative-14816.html