Ford Announces Plans to Use 3D Printing on Wider Scale for Vehicle Parts

Modern vehicles have a large number of parts and Ford has announced that it will be using 3D printing on a wider scale for components in its vehicles. A company named Carbon will be producing digitally manufactured polymer parts for Ford and these parts will be used in some of Ford’s newest models. Carbon will be making components like HVAC Lever Arm Service Parts for the Ford Focus, Auxiliary Plugs for the Ford F-150 Raptor, and Electric Parking Brake Brackets for the new 2020 Mustang Shelby GT500.

Ford and Carbon announced their partnership at the recent Detroit Auto Show. Carbon will be making the components for Ford using its reliable printers as well as its proprietary Digital Light Synthesis technology and its EPX (epoxy) 82 material.

Ford had tested Carbon’s EPX 82 material and had confirmed that met all of the automotive company’s rigorous performance standards. The material was able to tolerate all of the requirements that are critical for part applications like interior weathering, UV stability, fluid and chemical resistance, short- and long-term heat exposure, flammability, and fogging in the selected applications. Carbon’s CEO and co-founder, Dr. Joseph DeSimone, said that Carbon has the capability to deliver durable, end-use parts which have similar or better properties when compared to injection molded parts.
In November 2018, Carbon had announced major price reductions for its most widely used 3D printing resins. This made its 3d-printed parts more cost-effective. Carbon collaborates with companies across many markets like Vitamix, Johnson & Johnson, and Adidas. Ford is using 3D printing for other types of car parts and back in August 2018 had filed for a patent on a 3D printed brake rotor. Ford has also been conducting tests of a huge 3D printer that has the capacity to print full-scale car parts which are lighter than metal parts and can be manufactured quickly.