German auto firm EDAG unveiled concept car at the Geneva Auto Show
Its internal frame is designed to be 3D printed from a mixture of thermo- plastic materials and carbon fibre for strength and cushioning
A conventional metal frame, also inspired by a shell, would protect the 3D printed internal structure
7 March 2014
3D printing has been used to make everything from toys and plaster casts to parts for jet engines.
And now one German automotive company has unveiled a revolutionary conceptual car body that it claims will only be made possible by using what is termed as 'additive manufacturing' or large-scale 3D printing.
The internal structure is inspired by the shape of a turtle skeleton and is designed so that it will provide incredible protection and cushioning, just like the animal’s shell.
In the future the car body could be made in one piece using high-resolution fuse deposition modelling (FDM) machines and then sheathed in metal to protect it.
EDAG’s ‘Genesis’ concept has gone on show at the Geneva Auto Show, which is focused on the future of car design.
The car body is intended to be built using 3D printing and a mixture of carbon fibre and plastic.
The company says its concept is ‘designed to demonstrate the revolutionary potential of additive manufacturing.’
EDAG claims that cars based on organic structures ‘cannot be built using conventional tools’.
The firm believes that 3D printers will one day manufacture a car's entire body and envision a continuous strand of carbon fibre being used within the printing process, helping to create an ultra- strong outer shell of a vehicle in one piece.
While hi-tech plastic might seem like an odd choice of material to build a car’s body from, the company said: ‘Unlike other technologies, FDM makes it possible for components of almost any size to be produced, as there are no pre-determined space requirements to pose any restrictions.
'Instead, the structures are generated by having robots apply thermoplastic materials.’
Cars need to be strong to withstand collisions so the German firm plans to introduce ‘endless carbon fibres’ during the production process, which they say will give the body the strength and stiffness needed.
Designers used a turtle shell to inspire the shape of the car body to create a body that ‘cushions and supports’ an interior carriage, surrounded by reinforcing metals for an outer shell.
Experts believe the concept is over a decade away from becoming reality, but production of components is feasible at the moment.
‘As for the target of using additive manufacturing to produce complete vehicle bodies, there is still a long way to go before this becomes an industrial application, so for the time being, it remains a vision,’ the firm said.
Source: dailymail.co.uk
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