Additive Manufacturing of Selected Automotive Components

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Developing a new product or modifying an existent design in the automotive industry is often a very costly and time-consumingprocess. The automotive industry has been using Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology as an important tool in the design anddevelopment of automotive components because it can shorten the development cycle and reduce manufacturing and productcosts. AM processes also have been used to manufacture small quantities of structural and functional parts, such as engineexhausts, drive shafts, gear box components and breaking systems for luxury, low-volume vehicles. FCA Canada Inc. is seekingto collaborate with McMaster University to evaluate the use of AM technology for design optimization and manufacturing ofselected automotive parts. This design optimization includes: weight reduction, material selection, and topology optimization. Thiscollaborative project between FCA Canada Inc. and McMaster University focuses on the use of AM technology to redesign twoselected automobile parts and manufacture these parts using the Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process. The projectrepresents a significant opportunity to increase FCAs profit in the automotive market as a result of introducing new innovativeproducts and processes. This collaboration in AM of automotive components will expand FCAs current customer offerings andextend their base in North America and internationally.