Are There 3D-Printed Cars?
While there are no 3D-printed cars on the roads today, they might not be too far away.
Written by Alexandra Maloney
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
If you thought either electric cars or self-driving vehicles were impressive advancements in the automotive industry, wait until you hear about 3D-printed cars. While in the past, 3D technology was only used to print prototype
car parts
, the technology is advancing to the real thing. Although no fully 3D-printed cars exist right now, the industry is starting to use 3D technology to make real parts, and it’s only a matter of time before the first full vehicle is produced. Would you drive a 3D-printed cars?
What is 3D printing?
Before you decide if you’d drive a 3D-printed cars, it might be helpful to know exactly how that car is being produced. According to
HotCars
, 3D printers use a computer-aided design that utilizes a layering technology. That layering method, along with computer software and raw materials like powder, creates three-dimensional objects. Think of a 3D printer working the same way as your traditional ink printer, but instead of producing a flat picture on paper, the product is an actual object. Once the final product comes out, it’s typically best practice to sand the edges to create an ideal, smooth object exactly to your liking.
The person operating the 3D printer can handcraft specific shapes, sizes, colors and more within the printer’s settings, so the result can be one totally unique thing, or millions of the same exact piece.
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3D printing in the automotive world today
3D-printed cars would be monumental for the automotive world, because the technology could allow car parts, or even entire cars, to be mass produced at an extremely rapid pace. Already, we’ve seen car brands like Volkswagen begin to take advantage of 3D printing for car parts.
We also see speciality and luxury cars toying around with the idea of 3D printing.
Autoweek
reports that Kevin Czinger, founder of Divergent 3D, is working on a car called the Czinger 21C—a supercar with a 2.88 liter twin turbocharged V8 engine. The car has an 800 volt electric system that supports a total of 1233 bhp. And, the car would be made entirely from 3D-printing technology. Other 3D-printing companies and groups are also experimenting with 3D cars, like Divergent 3D, Local Motors, and even a group of students at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
The future of 3D cars
It might not be too long before we see fully 3D-printed cars at the dealership and on the roads.
According to
3DSourced
, finished working 3D-car prototypes have been driving since 2014, going through rigorous testing. And, some of the technology has even made it to the streets in the form of buses. On the American University campus, students have been able to get around on 3D-printed buses for three years, according to 3DSourced. And, more and more car brands will likely get into 3D printing as it becomes more and more profitable. HotCars reported it’s predicted the 3D-printed car market will grow into a $5.3 billion industry by 2023. That number is predicted to increase even further by 2028, to $12.4 billion.
With profits like that and technology readily available, 3D-printed cars are likely closer than we think.
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