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?

A.N.T. | UN's Futuristic Transporter of Necessities and Medical Supplies

The Aid Necessities Transporter also known as the ANT, a futuristic transporter for necessities and medical supplies was designed by Industrial Designer Bryan Lee of Melbourne, Australia.

Lee, a product of Monash University designed the futuristic looking transport to help the UN and other international aid organizations to safely transport food, water, medicine, medical equipment and the housing necessities to disaster affected areas without hassle and delay.

SketchChair Software–Design and Make Your Own Chair

SketchChair is an application that allows anyone to sketch and test their own design, in these case the chairs. This processing-based program is a collaboration between Greg Saul and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) ERATO Design UI Project in Tokyo, Japan.

“Sketch Chair” is a exploration in using computation and rapid manufacturing techniques to allow users to design and build their own products or in this case their own chairs.

Velcro LED Diver Flashlight by Keith Coponi

The Velcro LED Flashlight Concept created by Florida based Keith Coponi, an Industrial Design graduate from The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale (AiFL). Coponi specialized in Industrial Design, 3D Modelling and Interior Design.


The LED Diver Flashlight is powered by six AA batteries, a water heat sink and the new 20mm diameter light engine technology. It has also a changeable foam pads, and the Velcro sleeve attached around the respirator strap to let the divers roam underwater hands-free and with the light still on-focus.


The LED Diver Flashlight design with Velcro is derived from the original diving flashlight, enhance and incorporates with new LED technology with

3D Stainless Steel Printing by Shapeways

3D Stainless Steel Printing by Shapeways, a 3D fabrication services based in The Netherlands, who used a certain technique called '3D Printing', where they had mastered the kind of technique and had proven as a high-quality technique for production.


Not just Shapeways print your 3D design on stainless steel and bronze, they can also print on metal or on any other material as long as you follow their given specifications, especially if you wanted your 3D design to be printed on metal.