Back in April, Triple Eight Race Engineering popped up in the news cycle when it was announced the company had developed a low-cost ventilator prototype to help fight the global coronavirus pandemic.

It was an uplifting story at a dark moment and an example of the goodwill, as well as the technical and engineering creativity, that can be found in Australia.

In a statement released by the Queensland government – representatives of which were rightfully effusive in praise of Triple Eight’s work – Team Principal of the company, Roland Dane, was quoted as saying, “We were able to utilise in-house 3D printing services provided by our team partner HP and we believe the ventilator could be put into production within a short space of time but we are now continuing development with the help of the Department to improve our unit further.”

Development of the ventilator – under the name ‘Conrod Project’ – does indeed continue.

Triple Eight was not the only racing team – in Australia or the world – that used the skills of its engineers to help battle the coronavirus.

Erebus Motorsport developed Personal Protective Equipment for medical staff and, in Europe, seven Formula One teams are partners on Project Pitlane – a project that is part of a UK industry-wide effort to manufacture and deliver respiratory devices.

There are plenty of other examples of race teams and car manufacturers getting stuck in to tackle the global pandemic.

The link between almost all these projects is not just the extraordinary expertise of the designers and engineers working to quickly create practical solutions to problems – a skill that every racing team must have – but the use of 3D printing in doing so.

These projects, and others, highlight that the ability to swiftly build prototypes of products or parts using 3D printing is becoming an indispensable part of the modern engineering and manufacturing toolkit.

Also known as additive manufacturing, 3D printing uses computer-aided design software or 3D object scanners to create three-dimensional objects with precise measurements. The object is built by adding layer upon layer of a particular material, and the range of materials that can now be used is quite broad. Glass, ceramics, plastics, metal, even ‘bio-inks’ that are used to replace injured or diseased body tissues, can be utilised.

In the automotive industry, 3D printing has rapidly become an essential tool.

Using the process for rapid prototyping allows for the swift fabrication of a part and enables companies to turn ideas into physical concepts – and prove that concept’s viability – at a significant saving over traditional methods.

Beyond protoyping, using the technology to manufacture complex, high-performance and/or low-volume components that are too expensive to be produced by conventional methods is another area in which 3D printing is an advantage. Bugatti, for example, used the technology to create a partly titanium eight-piston monobloc brake caliper for its hyper-performance vehicles, while Porsche has committed to make components available for its vintage models by using 3D printing.

Another use is in the development of tools that assist workers to be safer and more efficient on the production line. At Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant, workers use five different 3D printed tools in the production of the Ranger pickup, while BMW – which uses the technology for a wide variety of products – announced a few years ago that it had developed 3D- printed ‘flexible finger cots’, custom-made for each worker and designed to reinforce the thumb joints.

These are just a small handful of the applications for which 3D printing is used by manufacturers, but many have embraced the technology to some degree and are researching where, how and for what it can be used. So much so that it is expected that globally, the 3D printing in automotive market size will reach US$2.6 billion ($AU3.8 billion) by 2023.

As the peak industry body for the automotive industry in Queensland, as well as the state’s leading independent automotive training provider, MTA Queensland has a responsibility to identify current and future technological disruptions, and 3D printing is a clear example of a relatively new but proven technology that will have a major impact on the automotive sector. Accepting this change demands that how it will be used, developed, implemented and regulated be investigated.

And so, in late 2019, MTA Queensland partnered with the Australian Research Council (ARC) on a five-year project to investigate the benefits and logistics of 3D printing for metal-based additive production in Australia, through a project titled the ARC training Centre for Multiscale 3D Imaging, Modelling and Manufacturing.

Through this partnership, MTA Queensland will welcome a number of PhD students from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) to explore the 3D printing needs of businesses within the automotive industry.

Three areas have been identified for exploration under the scope of the project.

The first research area will attempt to establish a set of global standards for 3D printing in the automotive industry.

While the emergence of 3D printing has led to significant advancements in the manufacturing process, it has also opened the door for unscrupulous producers to flood the market with products that are not safe to be used and could cause serious harm to drivers.

As there is currently no standardisation for best practice among automotive parts producers using 3D printing, there is no consistency among what materials or processes are used and certifying products that are printed can be resource intensive.

The benefits of a global set of standards is four-fold.

1. Mitigating and controlling risks
2. More consistent quality
3. Greater efficiencies
4. Improved repeatability

Standardising the 3D printing process will ensure consistency across the industry and will result in businesses and consumers being guaranteed that the parts they have purchased are of the highest quality.

The second research area will focus on examining the potential for 3D printing to be used in the automotive industry.

While 3D printing has become standard practice for a range of applications – particularly for developing prototypes and small-scale versions of vehicles and parts, as well as for manufacturing small, non-safety relevant components – using the technology for large-scale purposes, such as full body panels, is not currently cost effective. Research area two will analyse 3D printed parts against conventionally manufactured parts to understand areas where 3D printing can be optimised.

A third project will also be undertaken, which will focus on multi-scale design, manufacturing and characterisation of 3D printing parts from end-of-life vehicles.

80 per cent of a vehicle is currently recycled at its end-of-life. This includes the fuel, fluids and oils left in the vehicle, batteries, tyres, glass and plastic.

The remaining 20 per cent is called ‘automotive shredder residue’ (ASR) and will most likely end up in the ground as landfill.

However, with many automotive manufacturers looking to use lighter materials such as aluminium and composite metals instead of traditional steel, this ASR figure is increasing.

In an effort to diminish the amount of material that ends up in landfill, the third project will investigate the validity of reusing ASR as a sustainable 3D printing material.
Researchers will conduct testing on materials that currently make up ASR to deduce the feasibility of using it for 3D printing purposes.

“The benefits that 3D printing will have on the future of the automotive industry are vast and relevant for large manufacturing companies right down to small and medium sized workshops,” said Dr Brett Dale, MTA Group CEO. “MTA Queensland is very excited to be a part of the ARC project and we look forward to working with them to improve knowledge on the benefits of 3D printing as well as implementation within the automotive industry.”

Source: Motor Trader E-magazine (July 2020)

8 July 2020