The globally competitive automotive industry faces many major challenges these days, including:
3D printing may just be one of the solutions that car companies can look towards to address some of these issues.
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When it comes to automotive manufacturing, 3D printing is becoming more prominent. In fact, 3D printing and cars have a long history that’s only becoming deeper. At the moment, you’re not likely to get a car which has been made completely by any additive manufacturing companies, although there are some niche vehicles which are.
The mainstream automotive industry is adopting 3D printing in varied and more limited ways, but it’s still becoming a more integral part of making cars. It’s also important to note that automakers sometimes guard manufacturing techniques, and some automakers openly talk about them.
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The average consumer may not realize that 3D printing in automotive applications is becoming a big force. It’s more likely that most consumers have only been exposed to small-scale plastic 3D printers at the mall, high schools and colleges, or even their local public library.
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If you think “Microsoft” and “open source” don’t really belong in the same sentence, brace yourself. While the tech giant has a notorious history of not partaking in such things, the latest joint announcement with BMW highlights that Microsoft most definitely thinks differently about open source platforms and their place in the future.
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There’s plenty of hype in the media about autonomous driving technology. Quite a bit of this is fueled by the eager press releases and slick marketing copy produced by automakers and tech companies, which are trying to please investors and excite the public. There’s a problem with this dynamic because it isn’t entirely honest about how difficult reaching Level 5 autonomous tech will be.
Germany, the birthplace of the modern automobile, has long held quite a bit of power in the car world. In fact, 80 percent of all luxury vehicles sold globally are from German brands. It wasn’t that long ago Volkswagen boasted in all of its ads of the German engineering that goes into its vehicles. If you haven’t noticed, the auto industry is in a bit of a transformational moment, if by “bit” I mean a complete overturning of pretty much everything. Read the rest of this entry »
Lighter weight and more energy efficiency go together in automotive design. It’s what many auto manufacturers strive for to be competitive and meet consumer demand. 3D printing is helping them achieve this goal. Read the rest of this entry »
Electric cars have generated a lot of buzz this year. While you might know of several coming out, the following vehicles might not be on your radar, yet.
You likely have at least some sense of big changes coming to the automotive industry. Most people know about Tesla, but other young startups, plus a plethora of other companies are in the process of disrupting our personal transportation options. As a result, we’re about to see what I term the Carpocalypse.