3D Printed Cars: The Future of Car Manufacturing?

Carmudi sheds light on how the 3D printing is disrupting the automotive industry.

May 13, 2015 - Nearly 30 years ago, Ford bought the third 3D printer ever made. Today, the value of the car industry’s printing work is about $267 million and already, a 3D tech company in China has created a bright orange electric-powered sedan which cost just $1,770 to manufacture. According to venturebeat, the 3D printing in the auto industry is expected to be worth $1.25 billion by 2019, Carmudi sheds light on the different ways in which 3D printing is disrupting the auto industry today.

Faster prototypes

3D printing is already challenging the conventional work practices of car manufacturers.  Time is money and by using 3D printing, car manufacturers can quickly create a tangible prototype of a would-be car model. Moreover, car manufacturers are always looking for ways to cut costs and 3D printing allows for creation of prototypes in a matter of hours. Then, once the prototype is tried and tested, they simply have to update the design and print it out again for further testing.

Made in China 3D Printed Car for just $1,770

Sanya Suhai, a Chinese 3D company from Hainan province unveils the first Made in China’s 3D printed sedan car.

According to report, the 3D printed vehicle dubbed as 'Tyrant Gold' took less the 2 months on building, and takes five days on printing process using low-cost composite materials.

Chen Mingqiao, the chief designer explained, "The density of the material is much lighter than that of the metal, only one-seventh or one-eighth,” and added, “Lighter weight will help save energy in the future.”

The cost to build the three-dimensional printed sedan car is just $1,770, and powered by rechargeable batteries with speed reach of up to 40 kilometers per hour (24 mph).

It's cheap, but would you drive this Made in China 3D printed car?