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A while ago when the automotive industry was talking about 3D printing technology in automotive applications, some industry players said without a doubt that it is difficult to commercialize 3D printing in that it is only applicable to small batch production of complex components. It did not take long before Ford's announcement gave them a slap in the face.
Days ago, Ford announced a coalition with Carbon 3D to use 3D printing on production of high quality automotive parts with the intention to speed up the process from vehicle design to mass-production. Obviously, Ford is ahead of its peers in accepting and adopting advanced technology. In 2013, Ford was the first to try 3D technology on R&D and production of vehicles. In December 2014, Ford cooperated with Carbon 3D and discussed the possibility of using 3D printing at a high speed and high quality standard to manufacture a portion of automotive accessories.
Ford vise president of global product development, Raj Nair says, "Our ability to innovate depends on how quickly we can move from idea to production.This technology enables us to quickly create automotive-grade parts for product design prototypes – and perhaps even production parts – faster than ever before, so we can deliver new vehicles to customers even sooner."
